RAIN, RAIN, GO AWAY

Friday, October 4

We had to get up and around early this morning because we wanted to pull out around 8:00 for our 250 mile drive to Cooperstown, New York.  It was cloudy and cool as we left Ashland, New Hampshire, and just as we got through Concord it started to rain.  The weatherman had said there would probably be showers on and off today.  The problem was they were more on than off.  It also got quite foggy as we were going over Hogback Mountain.

The whole drive which took about 6 hours was one of the prettiest we have been on.  We traveled with Earl and Eunice and Ron and Sherry.  I feared that the color would not have reached to southern Vermont and New Hampshire, but I really think it was more vibrant down there.  If the sun would have been shining it would have been amazing.  We had lots of mountains to go up and down, and invariably there would be a stoplight at the bottom of some of them.  We had to hold our speed to 45-50 mph most of the way.

The mountains are solid color - so beautiful.

We arrived at the Cooperstown KOA Campgroud around 3:00 and got set up.  Jenna and I went into Cooperstown - about 12 miles away - to get the lay of the land and fill up with diesel - $4.19 per gallon!  Cooperstown is one of the neatest towns we have been to.  Lots of these little towns in New England are very quaint, but Cooperstown is quaint, well groomed, and looks like a town from the 18th or 19th century.  There were beautiful old homes that have been well taken care of, and the downtown  is like stepping back in time.  Of course most stores have a baseball theme. 

Tomorrow we have tickets to the Baseball Hall of Fame, the Finnemore Art Museum and the Farm Museum.  Both Saturday and Sunday are free days to explore and visit Cooperstown as we please.  I'll report on what we see next time.  Until then, Happy Trails!

THE CASTLE IN THE CLOUDS

Thursday, October 3

In 1914 Tom Plant purchase 6300 acres in the mountains of New Hampshire.  His land included the land to the top of seven mountins in the Ossipee Mountain Rance down to the shore of Lake Winnipesaukee.  He subsequently hired over 600 craftsmen to build and Arts and Crafts style home he called Lucknow, a stable with living quarters, two gate houses, a 100 foot greenhouse, farm buildings and 45 miles of carriage and bridal trails.  

      Castle in the Clouds 

           The Carriage House

       One of the gate houses

  Rainbow Trout in the pond - fish from this pond were used in the movie On Golden Pond

   Hydrangeas on the Castle grounds

The home was an enormous 16 room mansion that measured between 9,000 and 10,000 square feet. 

Poor investments led Plant to lose the bulk of his wealth and he finally offered to sell his home for $750,000 in 1920.  A friend gave him a mortgage on the house which allowed Plant to live there until his death in 1941.  Upon his death the foreclosure of the loan on the house left Plant's wife penniless.  The house, renamed the Castle in the Clouds changed hands several times and was finally purchased by the Lakes Region Conservation Trust for $5.9 million.  Today the trust works to maintain 5500 acres, the castle, the Carriage House and the two gate houses.

We rode with Earl and Eunice to visit the castle, and a trolly took us from the parking lot on a winding road to the castle where we were given a brief history of Tom Plant and his Lucknow home.  We were then allowed to tour the home and grounds on our own.  Even though it was built in 1914, the Castle in the Clouds had many technological conveniences such as hydroelectric power, ammonia-brine cooled refrigeration, central-vacuum and intercom systems and a water-fed fire suppression system.  The interior appointments were hand-crafted by the best artisans of the time and included such modern conveniences as needle-spray full body showers in every bathroom.  A built in  pipe organ could be played manually or mechanically.  Panoramic views of the mountains and Lake Winnispesaukee can be made from many different rooms within the house.

      A view from the backyard of the Castle

       A view from the Men's room in the Carriagehouse

The grounds around the house were landscaped and also afforded amazing views of the mountains and lake.  

Following our tour, we went to Hart's Turkey Restaurant for lunch and then returned to the campground to prepare for our travel to Cooperstown, New York tomorrow.

SQUAM LAKE - AKA - ON GOLDEN POND

Wednesday, October 2

Last week we watched the movie On Golden Pond.  Today we took a two-hour cruise on Squam Lake - the real name for Golden Pond.  Beautiful flowers lined the street by the boatlaunch.

We loaded two large pontoon boats and had a narrated tour of this beautiful lake.  There are 30 named islands and numerous smaller islands on the lake.  Most of the islands have a house on them.  

They don't have electricity on the islands and they are not allowed to have gas or oil on the island.  Most have generators that operate on propane, but one has solar and geo-thermal power.  Sewage is collected in tanks that are pumed out periodically.  The Squam Lake Conservation Society tries to buy all land around the lake as it becomes available so that it can be put into a trust and never built on again.  There are no commercial building on or around the lake.

The foliage around the lake and on the islands was outstanding.  

The reds were particularly vibrant and beautiful.  We saw several loons, but they disappeared before we got too close.  

Loons live primarily on the water and are excellent swimmers.  They can dive to 300 feet and stay under water for 3 minutes.  They usually lay 2 eggs per season on the shore close to the lake.  Predators get 3 of every 4 eggs laid, so only 1 chick survives every two years.  

Squam Lake covers 6800 acres and has an average depth of 32 feet.  At its deepest it is 90 feet deep.  We toured the part of the lake where the movie, On Golden Pond, was filmed.  Our guide told us that the water in that part of the lake is too shallow for a boat to motor in.  Consequently, for the movie they pulled the boat on underwater cables.

      The setting for On Golden Pond - all grown over.

       Purgatory Cove

Also, Purgatory Cove, the area where Normanand Billy were shipwrecked, has many fewer rocks and is only 2-3 feet deep.  To keep from drowning they simply needed to stand up rather than swim to that big rock.  

One of the islands hosted a summer camp back in the late 1800's.  After the camp closed some of its former campers got control of the island and established an island church.  The outdoor sanctuary consists of stone benches, a large birch cross and a granite stone for a pulpit.  Every Sunday in July and August church services are held on the island.  Docks for 50-75 boats line one side of the island and our tour guide said it is packed every Sunday. 

Following our boat tour we all went to Walter's Basin for lunch.  

The restaurant is named for the rainbow trout that Norman and Billy caught in the movie.  Lunch was excellent and everyone seemed to enjoy it very much.

After lunch we went across the street to the Squam Lakes Natural Science Center.  

A long winding trail in the woods led us to several different venues where we learned about animals indigenous to the area and how they live.  Additionally, they had displays that explained how everything from earthworms to bats to mice and many other creatures influence our environment.  

The bobcats and  mountain lions were particularly active, but the river otters and black bears only wanted to sleep.  The whole trail, about 3/4 of a mile, was well kept and very pleasant.  It was a good way to work off our lunch in a very beautiful place.

Tonight we have another LEO - Let's Eat Out - followed by a travel briefing and a movie about Alaska.  It has been a very full and fun day.  Tomorrow is a trip to the Castle in the Clouds.  Don't know what that is, but I guess I'll find out.  Until then, Happy Trails!

WHERE DID THE COLOR GO?

Monday, October 1

Today we traveled 65 miles from Glen, New Hampshire to Ashland, New Hampshire.  Even though it was only 65 miles, it took us over 2 1/2 hours to drive that distance. Adventure Caravans could route you on main roads or even interstate highways, but instead they try to find backroads or scenic byways for travel. Before we left we had a travel briefing to discuss our route. Barry indicated that if we set our GPS to this address we would get here, but we would miss a lot of beautiful country. Boy was he right.

Our route took us back toward Crawford Notch about 5 miles before we turned onto Bear Notch Road. This road went uphill for about 6 miles before starting downhill for an equal distance.  

The road is closed during the winter, but I bet snowmobilers have fun up there. 

There were pullouts every few miles which allowed us to see the color for miles. Soon after turning on the Kancamagus Highway we came to a serious downhill run.

It was 3 1/2 miles of 9% downhill grade with a hairpin turn 1/2 way down.

Add to that red, gold, and orange color that looked like confetti fluttering in the breeze and you had one exhilerating ride.

Soon we came to Interstate 93 that took us the last 25 miles to Ashland. The further south we came the less color we saw. I guess the cool temperatures haven't quite reached Ashland. Maybe we wil bring the color with us - at least I hope so.

Tonight we had a Pot Luck Mexican dinner.

                                      

                            Joyce, George, Carol, Jenna, Mary and Terri get things ready.

Everyone brought delicious Mexican dishes and Barry poured the margaritas.

                                         

Boy was it good!

Tomorrow is another day of tours and things to do. We are going on a cruise on Golden Pond - sounds like fun to me. Until then, Happy Trails!

A DAY TO REST

Monday, September 30

It seems hard to believe, but this trip is quickly coming to an end.  Just 12 more days and it will be time to head for home.  We have had a wonderful time and met so many nice people.  I am certainly glad that I have done this blog.  We have done so many fun things and seen so much that there is no way of remembering without a written record.

Today was a free day.  Everybody took advantage of the time to do what they wanted to get done. Some went to a county fair that was held nearby.  They said it was pretty crowded but they had a good time.  Others went grocery shopping, did laundry, cleaned their rig, or just relaxed in the beautiful sunshine.   It was 58 degrees around noon today with brilliant sunshine that made it just warm enough without being too hot.

Earl, Eunice,Jenna and I went to Camping World to get a new latch for our cargo door.  We looked at new 5th wheels just for fun.  They had financing information posted in them.  They were financing them at 6.9% for 240 months!  That's 20 years!!!  I am so happy with what I have.

We came back to the campground and had lunch and then drove down to the Covered Bridge Gift Shop.  

Someone has taken an honest to goodness covered bridge that is no longer in service and put a gift shop in it. Then we drove out the highway where we saw the moose last night hoping he might come to visit once again.  No such luck.  All we saw was some pretty views of the river.

   Some beautiful foliage

I did the laundry and Jenna prepared chicken tortilla soup for a Pot Luck dinner tomorrow night when we got back to the trailer.  Then we went to a staff prepared dinner of brats, beer, potato salad, green salad, apple pie and ice cream.  Um Um Good!  These Adventure Caravans feed you too good!

       Udo and Nushi eagerly await dinner.  Udo is from Germany; Nushi is from Thailand

        Linda, Ernie, Mary, Jan

Terri, Barry and Ron

             Joyce, Eunice, Earl, Jerry, and Jack

                The food awaits.

Now it's in for the night and get ready to travel tomorrow.  Until next time, Happy Trails!