Watch where you are driving everyone!
http://www.wmur.com/news/22386892/detail.html
The first driver was near the Bearcamp River mouth on Ossipee Lake! Moving water doesn’t always freeze! BE CAREFUL everyone!
(Thanks Bob for the link!)
We all know we are supposed to “winterize” our RVs. RV owners can hire a professional to winterize or go the DIY route.
But another important thing to remember is removing the batteries from your RV. Keep your batteries in a cool (but not freezing) place during the winter and check their charge every month or so. Don’t let the batteries get lower than 80% discharged.
For more info, check out this article:
http://blog.rv.net/2009/10/winter-battery-storage-maintenance/
Join the conversation on our forum
Campers Inn is giving their customers the brush off! Problems are unsolved, and customer phone calls are ignored!
There is a discussion on our forum on Campers Inn, and one of our forum regulars in having problems with their RV refrigerator. Campers Inn have had her RV for a week and half (after waiting for over 3 weeks for an appointment) and it hasn’t even been looked at. Everyone is on vacation! ha! Convenient excuse.
I find it amusing that on the Merrimack NH RV Service web page, they boast about having 16 service bays (in 2003, they moved to a new location that doubled their size). How is it that they haven’t had time to even look at her RV with such a vast service department? My guess is the economy has forced them to cut employees, and instead of being honest with their customers, they are just leaving them out on a ledge!
Another forum regular is having issues with a wrinkled bubbling wall. Campers Inn actually let them leave their lot with two cracked & worn tires that needed to be replaced after the customer noticed it! This is a brand new RV!
The name “Campers Inn” has a bad history and reputation. The location in Shirley went bankrupt and the Massachusetts attorney general sued them for $2 million for monies owed to their customers. That owner was David Hirsch. I haven’t been able to find anymore details on the outcome of the suit, and I wonder if any customers recovered any of their money back.
I don’t like complaining about businesses unless there is really something really wrong. In my opinion, something is definitely wrong with Campers Inn. I would not recommend anyone purchase from them, until they can appropriately take care of their earlier customers that are expecting them to live up to their promises of good quality service and products!
Anyone else having problems with Campers Inn!? Please leave a comment or join in on the forum discussion!
It’s been a very disheartening season. I have never seen so many negative campground reviews and comments EVER in all the years I have been running this web site. Some were so inappropriate, that they never became them public. It has been a disappointing summer.
Don’t get me wrong; I don’t believe this site should be all positive reviews and feedback, but the negativity has to be constructive; it has to be useful for site visitors to read and helpful to campgrounds to learn from.
Yes, campers are stressed. Many can only afford one vacation for the year, and they choose camping because it’s less expensive than airfare and hotel rates. But it seems that people are expecting more than ever for their $30 or $40 a night.
Before you start complaining about your stay, stop and think about the reasoning behind your complaints and demands.
“The owners were rude”
“The bathrooms were filthy”
“Roads are full of ruts”
“The campsite was muddy”
“They made us go to bed at 11pm”
“There was nothing for my children to do”
Campgrounds are a business! Like so many other businesses around New England, they are feeling the financial pinch. Some campground owners are on the brink of losing their business. Staff has been let go, repairs go unfixed, bathrooms are not cleaned, sales are down, loan payments are due, taxes & insurance rates have been increased, and stress levels are high. It’s no wonder that campground owners are moody and unhappy.
Your negative comments are not just a way for you to blow off steam because you had a bad vacation at a campground. Your comments are affecting the livelihood of other human beings!
Campgrounds rely on word of mouth advertising. Complaints can cause a decrease in sales, and that ultimately causes more staff loss or worse the loss of the whole business.
To repeat, I am not discouraging negativity; it wouldn’t be fair to expect everyone to only post positive comments, and it would be boring too. But the comments and reviews received have been increasingly demanding and pretentious; it’s an attitude of “I am the customer, & I am always right” and there is an element of revenge or “payback” in some of the comments. It really makes me sad that people are not more compassionate.
So please THINK before you post a comment or send a review. Think about how your negativity is going to be received on the other end, and maybe soften your words so it is constructive and not hurtful.
Thank you for listening to my rant. Happy Camping!
Red Caboose Ice Cream Stand on Rt 16 in Ossipee, NH (next to Subway, near the Yankee Smokehouse)
They offer great Gifford’s ice cream!
Peanut Butter Caramel Cookie Dough - delicious! I got a kiddy cup topped with hot fudge:
Mike had a medium sundae:
Ice Cream Flavors:
For those traveling to the Conway/North Conway area, keep in mind there is road construction on Rt 16 by the KFC.
Get ready for a little bit of a delay. We were there during the 2nd week in July, and it wasn’t too bad of a jam!
It’s time for country fairs! Here is our annual list of New England (and Northeast) Country Fairs, updated for the 2009 season.
It’s very interesting, in comparison to 2008 New England country fairs, a lot are scheduled a week or so later this year.
Are you going to any New England country fairs this season? Which ones are your favorites? Post a comment below, or join in on the conversation on our discussion forum!
Other Fair Links:
Plain Jane's Diner is located on Rte 25 in Rumney, NH (603)786-2525
You first enter into the newer addition of the restaurant, but we were lucky enough to be seated in the original diner area, with old booths and lots of chrome. Typical diner look!
Mike has had lunch at Plain Jane's before (while snowmobiling), in fact, he was the one that recommended we drive there for dinner. While we were reading the menu, he pulls out his Blackberry phone and reminded me about the cheeseburger photo he emailed me during one of his winter snowmobile trips.
While were deciding what we wanted to eat, and he asks the waitress for an order of JACs Fries, which are french fries with cheese and brown gravy. His friend got him hooked on them! hmm, it didn't sound very appetizing to me, but I was keeping an open mind.
Our order of Jac's Fries is brought and they looked intriguing. I took a bite, and yum, Mike was right. They taste really, really good. Who would have thought fries and brown gravy would go so well together.
Dinner is served! I ordered the Meat and Cheese Lasagna with Garlic Bread. Yum, home-made tomato sauce, with lots of ground beef and even slices of sausage. And the garlic bread was fabulous.
Mike ordered the Baked Mac & Cheese topped with bread crumbs and served with a side of Garlic Bread. He thought it was delicious. I did sample a couple of bites, and it was very cheesy, but not baked. The crumbs were just tossed on top, probably after it was warmed in the microwave. It would have been fantastic if it were actually baked, with a nice crunchy top. But as long as Mike was happy with his meal, that's all that matters.
Lastly, we ordered two pieces of Double Chocolate Cake to go. I was a little disappointed, not with the cake per se, but I had my heart set on chocolate cake with layers of thick frosting. This was more like a chocolate bundt cake with a thin layer of frosting on top. NOT a bad thing, but not what I was craving. It was delicious for what it was, and very chocolately
Our dinner bill including tip was $43; a little more than what we normally spend for diner food, but we enjoyed our dinner. It wasn't the best Diner dinner I've ever had, but if we were in the area, I wouldn't hesitate to visit again. Their menu is extensive, with seafood, pasta, burgers, sandwiches, salads, subs, and other typical diner fare. I would definitely get the Jacs fries again, and maybe try a burger.
So, bottom line, yes, I would recommend Plain Jane's Diner.
Wow, this summer is shooting for the record books! I can’t believe how many dreary rainy chilly days we’ve had so far, and the sad news is, it’s already July and it feels like April!
Happy 4th of July everyone! Whether you’re camping, BBQing, boating, hiking, I hope it’s wonderful! Thanks to all our visitors! Stay Safe during the holiday weekend!
This winter we had a lot of wood that wasn’t quite “seasoned” long enough. What did we do? We bought those Bio Bricks (or logs) from the local hardware store and they worked great in unison with the un-seasoned, wet logs.
We’re thinking we might do the same this summer for campfires. We also found another type of bio-log to try. It’s supposed to last 3 hours. I figured along with a few logs of regular wood from a local distributor, we should be good to go.
Remember! Buy it where you’ll burn it!
I’ll be posting a full review once we get back from our first camping trip!
Found a great dog podcast recently.
"Wynn with dogs" - the latest show #15 includes an interview with Holistic health expert and author of “the Healing Art of Pet Parenthood”, Nadine M. Rosin. Nadine's story almost made me cry a few times. So emotional and touching!
On the whole, the podcast is good, it's a bit 'over produced' in a few areas, but the content is good, and the host is very sweet and caring. (There's a lot of corny commercials, but you can fast-forward over them if needed LOL)
There's a whole bunch of pet podcasts on the Pet Life Radio network, links are on the left side menu. It's great to listen to podcasts during the long drive to your camping destination!
That’s Camping has been redesigned. Besides a whole new look, I hope it’s a lot easier for our visitors to find content.
For instance, there’s links to the latest discussions on the forum. Links to the latest comments from articles and campground reviews have also been added. There’s a way to view campground reviews by region alphabetically and also by date. On each campground review page, there are links to other reviews in that same category. Same changes have been made for all the camping articles too.
We hope you like the new design but if you experience any glitches or problems, please contact us so we can fix it!
Happy Camping!
We decided to make last minute plans for the 4th of July weekend, and I found a lot of NH campgrounds are still listing available sites over at the NH Loves Campers Site Availability Page
Take a look!
http://www.ucampnh.com/Database/CampSiteSearch.asp
I have been informed by NH Loves Campers that the Holiday database is not being updated, so the information is not accurate. I guess we lucked out!
But there could still be a few campgrounds out there that have availability! Keep phoning!
I received an email from the Jacobs Brook Campground asking for help to get the word out on a proposed increase to New Hampshire’s Meals & Room Tax.
Hi. I am contacting you because I know everyone on the site are true camping folks. I have contacted you in the past.
Our campground industry in NH is being threatened by a new tax that was written into a bill at 1:30 AM this morning. The increase to meals and room tax which is proposed to go up to 9 percent will now include all campsites:
Tent, campers, & seasonals… We already pay extra taxes on our land because we have campsites. Some towns are already taxing seasonals, and now our govt. is considering this additional tax. It will in essence “kill” many of the smaller campgrounds which includes mine. We are already struggling to make ends meet due to the gas prices and slow down of camping due to the recession. Same with restaurants and hotels for that matter. We all are hurting and now NH wants some more. We are asking anyone who camps and does not want this tax to be voted in to help us. It slipped in late a night and it goes to vote next week. Please contact your representatives. We need your help.
Thank youMany thanks,
Pen Maule
http://www.jacobsbrookcampground.com
More online info:
UPDATE: Received an email from another campground with additional information on contact.
HERE IS THE LINK TO GET CONTACT INFORMATION FOR ALL THE STATE
REPRESENTATIVES
http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/whosmyleg/
HERE IS THE LINK TO EMAIL THE GOVERNOR
http://www.governor.nh.gov/contactus.htm
I sent off an email to the governor. Don’t know that it will help, since I am not a resident of NH, but it can’t hurt.
There is a huge problem with Asian longhorn beetles invading trees in New England.
Did you know that New Hampshire and Vermont are now banning wood from out of state sources, so they can combat the problem?
From Wikipedia:
The Asian Longhorn Beetle is considered an invasive species in North America, where it is a serious threat to many species of deciduous hardwood trees. During the larval stage, the ALB bores deep into a tree’s heartwood, where it feeds on the tree’s nutrients. The tunneling damages and eventually kills the tree. Tree species considered ALB host species include all species of maple (Norway, sugar, silver, and red maple) as well as Horse chestnut, Poplar, Willow, Birch, London plane, Mountain ash, Mimosa (silk tree),Elm and Hackberry.
If you remember, the city of Worcester, MA had a very serious issue with the beetles, and a quarantine was issued to carefully remove the affected trees. The problem is spreading to other New England states and we all have to do our part.
Do not move firewood to new locations. Buy it where you’ll burn it!
Also check out:
http://www.dontmovefirewood.org/
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=105438580
We have always brought our own firewood on camping vacations, but not anymore. Even though the firewood might look safe, it’s best to just leave it at home. It’s not that expensive to purchase wood locally where you’ll be camping, and that’s what intend to do this season! 
Leave a comment, or join the conversation on our forum!
Updated: 2009-06-14: We are still using this grill four years later! We take it with us in the RV for all our camping trips. It's been a workhorse!
Originally authored on June 08, 2005
Well now that we had the opportunity to use our new Weber Baby Q grill this week, we can honestly say we love this grill!
First, at under 30lbs, it is extremely portable and easy to carry on our camping trips. With our other larger standing grill, it was very awkward to bring it on short weekend trips. With the Weber Q Grill, it is convenient to tote, so we will be grilling on weekends as well as week-long camping trips.
This grill is built to last with a cast-aluminum body and lid. The high-quality stainless steel burner cooks evenly and cleanup is easy with a copper grill brush.
The Weber Baby Q uses the long 14.1-oz propane cylinders but if the holder ring is removed, the 16.4 oz cylinders can be utilized. A hose adapter can be attached to hookup to a standard 20lb tank.
Where most small grill manufacturers offer a one to three year warranty, Weber offers a 5 year warranty, which is outstanding. The name Weber is synonymous with quality, so we expected no less.
Mike has been longing for this grill since at least last year, and so far we are very happy with our decision to purchase. And we are saving money by eating at home more often. HA!
The book Eat This Not That! Supermarket Survival Guide is fantastic! I recently bought it, and even though I had previously studied a lot about nutrition, it was a real eye-opener. (follow the above link for more info and for pricing.)
It's difficult to decipher what's healthy and what's not when looking at today's food labels. This book makes it simple to make the right food choices. A lot of it is common sense, but there's still a lot of misinformation on labels and not enough regulation. The author digs into all the food categories. Then there's an explanation as to why a group of products are better in comparison to another group.
For instance did you know that grass fed beef is much healthier (and naturally leaner) than an all vegetarian corn fed beef product? Do you know which fish is lower in contaminants while keeping a high level of omega-3? Which microwave popcorn is the best choice? Pretzels? Deli meat? It's all included in the book. (I love the great food additive glossary in the back of the book.)
There are three books total, but I have only read the one "Supermarket Survival Guide". The other two books are Eat This Not That! for Kids! and Eat This, Not That! (original). I might buy the original version as well.
A little about the authors: David Zinczenko is the editor-in-chief of Men's Health magazine & editorial director of Women's Health and Best Life. Matt Goulding is the food & nutrition editor of Men's Health.
Are you heading to the Maine coast this summer? Check out the list of 10 best lobster shacks at travelandleisure.com:
http://www.travelandleisure.com/articles/the-10-best-lobster-shacks-in-maine
We will be in Maine, but not really near the coast. Next summer maybe!
Anyone else have any favorite lobster shacks? How about where you go for the best fried clams?
The Camco 39062 RV Dual Flush Pro Holding Tank Rinser with Gate Valve is very similar to the Flush King. I checked out the reviews on Amazon, and the only complaint was that it didn't seem to be as fast as the official Flush King; the other 5 reviewers gave it 4 and 5 stars. It's cheaper than the Flush King, at only $31 (at Amazon) and FREE shipping too!
The Flush King is on sale at Camping World - only $39.98 if you have a Camping World President's Club membership. If not, it's still a great buy at $44.43 (regularly $49.99) The reviews are still strongly positive (4 out of 5 stars) from Camping World customers. We have been using ours since June of 2005 and have had no problems with it!
Description: Flush King Reverse RV flush valve provides you with the quickest and most effective way to fill, rinse and remove residue from your black or gray holding tanks.
Flush King rapidly refills the holding tank no matter what height of tank or angles in plumbing. Unique design eliminates messy wands and hoses inside the RV by allowing you to reverse flush your tanks from the outside. Powerful performance removes clogs in drain pipes and improves sensor performance for more accurate readings. Four locking hooks provide a tighter seal to guard against leakage. For your convenience, the handle swivels 360 degrees to make hook up and operation easier. The innovative clear barrel allows you to see when the tanks are completely clean of residue, so there is no guess work. Flush King fits all Trailers and 5th Wheels and most Motor Homes and is not a permanent attachment. Twist on and off, how easy does it get!
When I can’t get fresh, I like using frozen vegetables; I love how easy it is to microwave the frozen bags. This is also handy when traveling in the RV (as long as you have a working microwave).
I prefer Green Giant, but the Birds Eye Steamfresh vegetables that steam in a microwave bag are good as well. I decided to try the “Sweet Mini Corn on the Cob” thinking how bad could it be? Well it was bad. Two bites and I knew I’d be throwing all four cobs into our backyard for the critters to eat.
In Birds Eyes’ defense, I don’t necessary think I cooked the bag perfectly, I initially set the microwave for less time than stated on the package; when I thought the corn might be finished, I took out the bag and ripped open the top. Inside, the cobs were still a little cold, so I stuck the whole (opened) bag in the microwave again for a couple more minutes.
But the problems with taste had nothing to do with how the product was prepared. It was just plain horrible. The corn was chewy and tasted like “cow corn” - not at all like corn on the cob I am used to.
So, no I won’t be purchasing the Birds Eye Steamfresh Corn on the Cob again, but it won’t deter me from purchasing other frozen vegetable bags from them.
Mike moved a big garden of plants from the front yard to our back yard yesterday. When he was looking over the transplanted plants today, he noticed some fluff and leaves moving around; he uncovered a nest of five baby animals. He thought they were mice initially, but when he showed them to me, I think they are too large for mice or moles. I think they are baby rabbits or if not rabbits, then baby squirrels. They are about 2.5 to 3 inches long. It looks like rabbit fur was used to insulate the nest, so that’s why I am assuming they are baby rabbits. Plus, we have rabbits all over our neighborhood, so it makes sense.
I don’t know if the mama will be able to find them, now that they were unintentionally moved, but I hope so. They look healthy and don’t appear to be in distress. We covered them up and moved more green plants around them to block the wind. I found a tip on a wildlife web site, to place dental floss or string in a cross over the covered nest, and if the cross moves or is broken, then you know the mom came back.
Moms come back to feed only 2 - 3 times daily, usually in darkness before sunrise and after sunset. We will see how the nest looks tomorrow, and if they last through the night. Poor little things.
http://www.animalconnectiontx.org/wildrabbits.htm
Update on baby bunnies: I think mama found them. Yay!
The nest definitely was repositioned. The vertical string I left was removed completely (at least from sight) and the horizontal string was left in relatively the same place. I left it with more viney plants loosely on top. The plants were all packed down, covering them better with a much thicker nest top.
I used a stick to carefully lift up the nesting to see if they were still there, and I saw two or three sleeping soundly and at least one was breathing. I didn’t want to disturb them for too long, so I left them.
UPDATE #2: After closely monitoring the baby bunnies for a few days, I found them “still” this morning. I had a bad feeling last night that they weren’t going to make it; looking back now, I don’t think the mama had found them. When we first found the nest, they were wiggly and strong. I think perhaps the baby bunnies were the ones that repositioned the nest, and because they were without proper food, they slowly became weaker and weaker. It’s sad, and I am very disappointed, but I have to remember it’s just how nature works. Thanks to everyone for reading this!
A big thank you goes out to nh.com for choosing That’s Camping as the site of the week!
Check out nh.com for everything going on in New Hampshire!
Today, Wednesday April 22, is Earth Day! What are you doing to be green and help Mother Earth?
Yay! Relief! We finalized our camping plans for this summer.
What are your plans for the 2009 season? Share them with us on our camping discussion forum.
That’s Camping is now on Twitter and Facebook
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A fellow camper emailed me the link to this article:
Appalachian Campsites in Pennsylvania receives huge fine
The fine was imposed due to 136 illegal septic hookups. Even though they are taking reservations for this season, the campground appears to be abandoned. If anyone has reservations at Appalachian Campsites in Shartlesville, Pennsylvania you better think twice. They could be taking your reservation and deposit with no intention of opening the campground!
Found a great article on the blog @ rvlifestyleexperts.com/. Is it the right time to buy an RV? Do you buy now or later?
The article states yes, it’s a great time to buy an RV. It’s a buyers market! You can get a great deal on a new or used RV. The inventory is plentiful and the dealers need sales, but be smart!
My advise is you must be honest with yourself and your financial situation before jumping into a large purchase like this!
What if you or your spouse loses employment, will you still be able to keep up with the loan payments? Consider purchasing a smaller used popup or RV for cash, instead of financing a loan for a larger newer RV. Weigh your options. Do not rush into anything without carefully thinking it through. Don’t be talked into purchasing more than you can comfortably afford. Just because something sounds like a “once in a lifetime” deal, doesn’t mean you should take it, especially if you can’t afford it!
Be careful and be smart! Use your common sense, and don’t rush…..Happy Camping!
On our discussion forum, a restaurant review was recently posted for Crumpets Tea Room. They are located at 56 Water Street in North Andover, MA.
campnmomof4 was gracious enough to allow me to post her review on our site:
This is a small and elegant restaurant and everyone was very nice. We parked on the side of the road, there were signs that said 2 hour parking. Where we were seated, was a coat rack next to me and it had some fancy hats and boas on it. They allow the little girls to put them on and take pictures. I of course ran out of the house and forgot the camera, but did take some pictures on my husbands cell phone.
My daughter and I both had a side Traditional Caesar Salad- Romaine Hearts, Croutons, Parmesan Cheese, Tossed with Caesar Dressing, 1/2 Roast Turkey with Stuffing, Cranberry Sauce, and Mayonnaise on whatever kind of bread you wanted. For Desert my daughter got the Raspberry Ice Cream Truffle (Vanilla Ice Cream with a Raspberry Sorbet Center, Covered with White Milk Chocolate and Drizzled with Raspberry Sauce), I had the Tartufo Ice Cream Truffle (Vanilla & Chocolate Ice Cream with Almonds and Cherries, Covered with Bittersweet Chocolate). And of course Tea, they have tons of Teas to choose from.
Everything was very delicious. I would definitely recommend this restaurant, but make sure you call and make a reservation to make sure that you get in. While we were there 3 women had come in together, but couldn’t stay because Crumpets were full. They had 4 tables for 2 people, 2 tables for 4 people and 1 table for 6 people, so they can only fit a total of 22 people. Their website is, www.crumpetstearoom.com
Photos can be found on the original forum topic.
It sounds delicious. I am craving that salad right now! Thanks for the review campnmomof4!
Polly’s Pancake Parlor in Sugar Hill, NH
Open daily 7am - 3pm
You might have to wait up to 45 minutes (or more) for a table, but it is certainly worth the wait for those pancakes!
Polly’s Pancake Parlor offers a variety of pancake (and waffle) batter and fillings. For approx $8, you can get a “sampler” of 3 different style of 6 (3 in) pancakes.
For around $11, you can order the “sampler” combo, which includes the pancake sampler plus an order of meat (bacon, sausage, or ham) w/ a drink.
We both opted for the combo; I chose cornmeal blueberry, plain chocolate chip, and plain coconut w/ bacon and hot tea. Mike chose plain blueberry and plain chocolate chip w/ bacon and coffee.
The cool thing about Polly’s is your server also makes your pancakes. I don’t know how they do it, but somehow they coordinate it so they can wait tables, plus head on over to the pancake grill, and whip up a batch of pancakes. It was great because they bring over 3 pancakes at a time, so the others don’t sit around getting cold, and then when you are ready the second 3 arrive.
By the time my 2nd three pancakes arrived, I was already pretty full, so I asked for a take out container right away. When I originally wrote this review (on my laptop), I was eating my left over 2 pancakes, and they were just as delicious warmed up in the microwave a day later!
My favorite was definitely the coconut filling. yum, I wish I got more coconut and skipped the blueberry. Not that the blueberry was not delicious (it actually tasted good w/ the cornmeal) the coconut was just so different. I also really liked the chocolate chip. Mike was happy w/ his blueberry and chocolate chip pancakes too.
Oh and the bacon…don’t let me forget about the bacon. This was probably the best bacon I have ever had…well definitely top 5. Tasted like it was right from the slab, not like the packaged stuff at the grocery. This was heavenly!
The only complaint I have is my tea arrived in a extremely hot-to-the-touch tea pot, but strangely the tea water inside wasn’t boiling hot, so my tea bag didn’t steep very well.
Some of the tables at Polly’s are “shared” so you might end up sitting close to another party. The tables are “pushed” together to make more room. The woman next to me ordered a fruit bowl, and it looked absolutely scrumptious. Loaded w/ strawberries, blueberries, and bananas.
This year (2008) Polly’s celebrates their 70th year. And the restaurant showcases various historical photos and items from the past. While you are waiting for a table, take a look at the glass case (behind the seating bench) and take a peek at the big paper chronicling their timeline. For example, Polly’s decided to go “non-smoking” in 1987 (if I remember correctly). You can also visit their gift shop located next door.
So, if you are driving through the Franconia, NH area, (before they close at 3pm) and are in the mood for delicious unique pancakes and waffles, then head over to Sugar Hill and Polly’s Pancake Parlor. You won’t regret it.
When we were leaving the Franconia area, and I tried to convince Mike to let me order a take out batch of pancakes so I can microwave them again the next morning! No such luck. But we will be back in the area in October, so hmm, we might have to make another trip to Polly’s.
http://www.pollyspancakeparlor.com/
Original review: 9/9/2005 - see below for update.
Scorpio’s Pizza & Sports Pub is located in Lancaster, NH. They offer a full menu of pizza, pasta, seafood, burgers, subs, Mexican, and calzones. We arrived on a Wednesday night at 7:45pm and couldn’t believe how busy it was! They do not accept credit cards, so be sure to bring cash.
Mike ordered a Cheeseburger Plate - comes with french fries. Mike graded his meal “B+”
I had the Pasta with Homemade Chunky Sauce (garlic bread too.) I was in love with this dish - my grade is “A” For only $7, I got a huge bowl of pasta covered with a delicious tomato sauce made “chunky” by pepperoni, mushrooms, peppers, onions, sausage, & tomatoes. I had to take most of it home for later. Oh and a salad was also included with my dinner (all for $7, it was a great deal) and this was one great salad. Peppers, cukes, tomatoes, romaine lettuce (no iceberg lettuce) and onions.
There is a small sit down dining area, with a bar area off to the side. Smoking outside on the patio where there are a few tables for dining as well. Lots of families, and as I said, it was busy on a weekday night at 7pm!
We liked it so much, we went back a second time for Mexican food. Mike ordered the Fajitas and I ordered the Taco plate. The Mexican choices were not the “best” we have ever tasted, but they were still good. The food is fresh, and homemade! And an excellent value for the price.
We recommend Scorpio’s Pizza!
UPDATED 2008-08-20
We were in the Lancaster NH again, and stopped by Scorpio’s Pizza & Sports Pub for dinner. Since we had our dog Mindy with us, we opted for Take-out and ate in the truck. I ordered the Pasta w/ Homemade Chunky Sauce again, and it was just as delicious as I remembered. I loved it. I saved my salad for the next day, and I even had left-over pasta too.
Mike ordered a Chicken Parmesan sub and he enjoyed it as well.
Ramunto’s Brick Oven Pizza
Rt 5 St Johnsbury, VT - (802) 751-8500
We stopped at Ramunto’s Pizza while taking a day drive into Vermont.
They had an assortment of pizza by the slice, so I ordered a slice of tomato garlic white pizza with an order (6) of their famous garlic knots (soaked in garlic oil). Mike ordered a slice of onion pepper w/ a Sicilian slice of Meat Lovers.
Awesome pizza. We both were stuffed - I couldn’t even finish my garlic knots, and took them home.
Besides any variety of pizza you could want, their menu also includes chicken wings, pasta, salads, calzones & rolls, grilled sandiwiches, hot & cold subs & wraps, onion rings, sweet potato fries, and other appetizers. They also serve beer and wine.
If you are ever in the St Johnsbury, VT area, and in the mood for pizza or pasta, take a quick drive North on Rt 5 and visit Ramunto’s Brick Oven PIzza.
http://www.ramuntos.com
Yianni’s House of Pizza
155 Main Street, South Paris, Maine 04281
(207)743-6660
Looking for a quick take out dinner, we stopped at Yianni’s Pizza. It’s typical “Greek-style” Italian food - yummy. I ordered chicken parmesan dinner & Mike ordered veal parmesan dinner. Both with ziti and salad.
We drove back to the campground, which was about 20 minutes away. Our dinners were still very hot when we arrived which was great but the ziti was a little mushy, but that could have been due to the long drive. There was a lot of cheese and sauce. It was a generous portion, but no leftovers. The garlic bread was average, but again, it probably would have been better had we ate sooner. We were disappointed because they forgot to add salad dressing with the salad; we didn’t have any dressing in the RV, so we couldn’t eat it until we bought dressing the next day.
Yianni’s House of Pizza offers pizza, along with burgers, pasta, calzones, grilled subs, hot & cold subs, salads, and a variety of appetizers. I think if we were in the area again, we would give them another try.
Elvio’s Pizzeria & Restaurant
Lincoln Square Outlet Mall - Main Street, Lincoln, NH
(603) 745-8817
We stopped by for lunch; it wasn’t crowded when I placed my order, but within a few minutes, there was a line waiting to order.
The man (owner?) in the front was very busy. Taking orders, then running to the back to take subs or pizza out of the oven. There were two other workers in the back. One woman was making pizzas and she didn’t seem to be working very quickly. I don’t know what the other guy was doing, he just seemed to be walking around. They were definitely short of help.
After about 20 minutes, I finally received our order (to go): I ordered a meatball parm sub, and Mike ordered a veal parm sub ( I like to tease him that he is eating poor baby cow, but he doesn’t care 
).
I brought the order back to the truck and Mike took a look at his sandwich, the sub roll was quite burned rather than toasted. My sub wasn’t as bad, but still over toasted. Mike’s was rock solid and dry.
He didn’t want to return it, since it would have taken forever to wait for a replacement, and he didn’t want to get his money back, so we ended up driving down Rt 3 (South) to find a quiet spot to eat lunch. By then we were hoping the steam from the hot sandwiches would soften the bread a bit.
We found a spot to stop, and Mike had to break off pieces of the burned bread, and he thought the veal parm part was alright, not the best he has had, but average. I was more pleased w/ my sub - the meatballs were excellent. I think the problem was a lack of help, so things didn’t get prepared as they should have. Mike probably wouldn’t return, but I might…only if I knew that the subs would be toasted lightly.
So in conclusion, it’s a mixed review. I give a half thumbs up, while Mike gives a thumbs down.
Elvio’s Pizzeria menu offers pizza, salads, homemade soups, calzones, hot & cold subs, and pasta dinners. I think if I were to go back, I might try one of the pasta and meatball dinners.
Blue Moon (Convenience Store and Pizza Sub Shop)
612 Ossipee Lake Road, Freedom, NH
603-539-1001
The Blue Moon is located down the road from Danforth Bay Campground in Freedom, NH. We heard from our inlaws that they enjoyed their pizza when staying at Danforth Bay in July, so we figured we would give them a shot on Sunday
At 6pm, Sunday night (Labor Day weekend), we phoned them from our campsite for an order of two small (2 topping) pizzas. We were told that it would be an hour wait, and that was fine. He did sound a bit frazzled on the phone.
We arrived early at around 6:45. Others (frustrated) were waiting for their orders. People ended up leaving because they didn’t want to wait any longer.
After seeing that the pizza oven only had two large pizzas inside, at 7:10, we asked if our order was even started. They said no, so we canceled. It was probably for the best. I have to admit, I was pretty grossed out w/ their cleanliness, or lack of it. The owner was working the register, taking money, and he moved over to behind the deli counter to make subs without washing his hands. Not very sanitary.
The wife who was making pizzas was also answering the cordless phone, and when the caller hung up, she threw the phone onto the pile of papers used to wrap subs.
And the bickering between the owner and his wife and other worker was embarrassing. He was very cranky and made it known to everyone in the store.
Would we go back and give them another chance? Not sure, but it definitely wouldn’t be during a busy time, and I would think twice about ordering a sub or any uncooked food.
Note: As a whole, New Hampshire restaurants are horrible for sanitation and cleanliness. Rarely do they wear gloves (except for some “chain” food places like Subway, McDonalds, etc) and they don’t keep money handlers separate from food preparers. It’s something I notice a lot when we are traveling here. I can’t say that this place is any worse or better than another sandwich shop.
We ended up leaving and driving North on Rt 16 to Rosie’s Drive-in. We had enjoyed lunch there earlier this summer, so we figured we would give them a try for dinner. To read our experience, read my updated review of Rosie’s.
Mike caught some poison ivy before our vacation last week. He was working w/ his friend, tearing down an old building, and he must have removed some old ivy plants. Luckily he was wearing long pants and work gloves.
He developed a rash on his left forearm. I went online briefly and found a web site that recommended Benedryl extra strength creme (containing Diphenhydramine hydrochloride 2%), so we got a tube of that. It definitely seemed to help a lot with the itch. He also wrapped his arm at night before bed. At that point, I was still unsure of how poison ivy spreads, so we didn’t want to take any chances. Note: about the Benedryl creme, do not take any Benedryl pills at the same time as the creme. There are warnings on the package!
Now, after doing some additional research online, I now know that poison ivy is NOT spread from the rash or from the “weeping” fluid from the rash. But it is very important to wash off all of the original oil from any clothes, shoes, toys, etc. Also, keep in mind, that dogs can carry the oil back to you if they walk through the plants. If you believe your dog has any poison ivy oil on his fur, then he also needs to be washed.
No product will make poison ivy go away; it will take about 2 weeks for it to run its course. The creams and treatments are only used to lesson the itch and pain, but it will not make it go away.
I won’t pretend to be an expert on poison ivy, so I will just list some helpful links that are much more detailed and experienced:
Hopefully you will not need to use these links any time soon, but it is important to know ahead of time what to do when you think you or a family member has been exposed to poison ivy.
Do you have any helpful tips for poison ivy? Post a comment here or join in on the discussion on the forum!
Specific Fair Links:
Other Fair Links:
UPDATED! see below
We have what looks like a baby hawk - possibly a Cooper’s Hawk, Northern Goshawk or Sharp-shinned Hawk. They all look very similar in my Sibley field guide (a book that I highly recommend).
(More photos @ my flickr account)
Here’s the story: Last night (Sunday) Mike noticed something on the tar in front of the shed. At first, he thought it was a piece of wood; Then he saw it move. He yelled to me to check it out, and I went onto the outside deck to look. Of course, I grabbed my camera. Its back was to us initially, and its tail looked a bit bent or sideways. Then he turned around, and we saw his profile. He was gorgeous. It was so thrilling to see.
I went to get a closer look outside on the grass nearby, and he didn’t fly away, which led me to believe that perhaps he was injured or wet, or maybe just too young to fly. We just had a very big rain t/-storm and I thought perhaps he was drying out.
It was going to be dark soon, and I didn’t want him to be injured or killed by the night creatures (fisher cats, foxes, coyotes, etc) so I went online trying to find information about wildlife rehabilitation; after leaving several messages on answering machines, at around 8pm, I got a return call from Jim Parks from Wingmasters.net.
He explained that it was very common to find babies that fall from trees. They are at the “branching” stage, and cannot fly yet. They walk out onto a branch, and a big wind or rainfall can knock them off the branch and onto the ground. Jim was very nice, and said that if he was still there tomorrow, to give him a call, and he could come out and see what’s up. But he explained that I shouldn’t be upset, because it’s just nature, and sometimes we can’t help what’s meant to happen.
Anyway, we watched him hobble / hop from the tar to the grass and in between a ladder and a big tree. He ended up moving himself under our utility trailer where he stayed for the night. Mike checked on him later and early Monday morning and he was still there. I also checked this morning around 8am, and he is still under the trailer.
Latest UPDATE: I gave Jim another call this morning, and he said that from looking at the photos I emailed, it is a Cooper’s Hawk. He said they do not do well at all in captivity, and have never survived, so unfortunately he doesn’t want to take him in. He also told me that they are very secretive birds, and the parents wouldn’t be making any "noise" because they don’t want to draw attention to themselves.
Also the Cooper’s Hawk is becoming more popular, because of all the bird feeders, they feed mainly on little birds. I did throw the little guy some tuna, and he said that they do not "smell" food, but it might attract rodents that he could eat. He is not worried about him finding food, that there is plenty of grubs and rodents around.
When I arrived home this afternoon, I immediately checked under the trailer, and our little Coopers Hawk is gone! Our backyard is wooded, w/ lots of brush, vines, & leaves, so I am hoping that he either found a better hiding spot, or his mom came and helped him, or maybe he tested his wings and was able to fly.
I did check for loose feathers under the trailer, and there was none, so I am thinking only positive thoughts. I miss the little guy, silly, but it was one of the most exciting things to happen, and I am a little sad that it’s over.
At least I have some photos & I learned a lot about a wonderful creature!
Some links about hawks and Coopers Hawk specifically:
Larson’s Lunch Box located @ 430 Main Street, in Damariscotta, Maine (207-563-5755)
We found a wonderful gem to stop for lunch on Saturday afternoon. Larson’s Lunch Box is a little take out “shack” located off Rt 1 on Upper Main St.
I ordered the Haddock Patty Sandwich ($4) with a 1/2 pint of NE Clam Chowder ($3.50). Mike ordered a pint of homemade American Chop Suey ($3) and the four piece Chicken Tenders ($4.50)
The chowder was awesome, homemade “from scratch” with fresh Maine steamers & clam stock. It’s not a real “creamy” base and if you don’t like fresh clams, then you probably will not like this. It’s not like the more creamy commercial-like clam chowder, which I do love but I also loved this too, for a nice change. The only complaint was that the large chunks of potatoes were al dente, but it wasn’t bad.
My haddock patty sandwich was “square” - it was a frozen not fresh haddock patty, but it was so much better than a McDonald’s fish filet.
Mike’s fried chicken tender pieces were delicious. I didn’t get to test-taste them, so I had to take Mike’s word that they were very good.
I did sample his American Chop Suey, which was wonderful. Homemade with lots of tomato chunks, hamburg, and onions, it was filling and delicious. There was generous amount in that pint!
Their menu also included Lobster ($15) and Crabmeat ($11) rolls, burgers, hotdogs, chicken (all white meat) salad sandwiches, fried chicken sandwiches, french fries, onion rings, and chili.
While we were waiting for our order, we spoke briefly with another couple and they said Larson’s was very clean, with excellent food, and they always visit when in the area. They also made an observation that all the cars in the parking lot were “out of state” and that it was surprising how everyone finds it!
I guess I can only guess how everyone else found their way to Larson’s, but we were driving by, and saw a little line forming by a little take out shack. We were hungry so we stopped.
Larson’s Lunch Box is a reasonably priced, delicious stop for a quick take out lunch. We will definitely return.
Besides a few minor adjustments to the campground review form, I just added a new category for cell phone service experience.
During a recent “Cell Phone Service” discussion on the forum, one of our regular contributors (Wersilly) suggested that cell information would be a good addition to the campground review form, and I wholeheartedly agreed.
While some may disagree, thinking it is unfair to rate something that the campground has no control over, I think it’s something that affects the camping experience, whether good or bad.
Do I think lack of cell service is important enough to discourage a camper from visiting a campground? No, I don’t think so, after all, it’s CAMPING. But if a location does not offer cell service then it’s helpful to know beforehand. This will allow the camper to be prepared, especially if they are expecting to keep in contact w/ their employer or family member. If it’s known beforehand that cell phone service is not available, then a camper can make other arrangements or let their contact(s) know ahead of time that they cannot be reached at the campground.
I hope review contributors will include this information on any new reviews sent in to us. It’s details like this that make our reviews so helpful to our visitors! Thanks for all your support!
We found a new place for lunch while in the Ossipee, NH area: Rosie's Restaurant - 1547 White Mountain Hwy (Rt 16) in Tamworth, New Hampshire 03886 - (603)-323-8611 See GoogleMap
Rosie's Restaurant is located near the White Lake State Park, and directly across from Sammy's Inn. They offer breakfast and lunch, along with ice cream (Gifford's ice cream). We had a delicious lunch. I ordered the "Chicken Burger" which was described as a fried real chicken breast, not chicken patty. Mike ordered a Cheese Steak Sub w/ Peppers and Onions. Both our sandwiches came with a choice of chips, fries or onion rings (rings are an extra $2)
Both our lunch choices were delicious...although I did have a bite of Mike's steak sub, and it tasted a bit salty (like soy sauce) but he enjoyed it very much. The french fries were great, but I kind of wish we ordered the onion rings. yum, I do love onion rings. They serve Gifford's ice cream and the flavors looked so appetizing, but we were stuffed after our lunch, so we passed on the dessert.
I grabbed a menu from the sit-down restaurant, and they offer lots of breakfast choices, including omelettes, pancakes, breakfast sandwiches, and interesting combo meals, like "3 silver dollar pancakes & choice of meat" for $8. They also offer "Healthier Options" like egg beaters, egg white omelettes, and turkey bacon or sausage. For lunch, there was burgers, hot dogs, fried seafood, steak subs, and salads to name just a few. Prices are reasonable.
The hours of operation were a bit confusing. There was a big sign outside that stated they were only open only until 2pm, but it appeared the the Take Out area was open after that, so I decided to phone the restaurant and ask them to clarify. I spoke to a friendly gentleman (the son of the original "Rosie") and we had a great conversation. He told me a bit about himself and the restaurant. He graduated from culinary school and worked at the Mount Washington Hotel restaurant for many years, before taking over the reins of his mom's restaurant, which she opened over 20 years ago.
So, here is the scoop (hehee ice cream pun intended): Rosie's Restaurant inside dining is open from 5:30am to 2:00pm (Breakfast and lunch). The outside Take-Out and Ice Cream area (where we ordered) is open from 12pm to 9pm (but closed on Mondays)
We enjoyed our lunch at Rosie's, and will definitely return. I found another review online that raved about their breakfast, so we will have to plan a morning visit next time we are in the area. Also, I would like to check out the ice cream for a early evening treat...
Yum, now I am hungry after writing this review! Do you have a favorite restaurant while camping? Visit our food forum and share!
Sunday, we returned from a fantastic weekend at Danforth Bay Camping Resort in Freedom, New Hampshire. We love the theme “Pets Weekend” and have participated in 2 past years’ activities. A big hello and thank you to the Danforth Bay staff, especially Craig & Dina. They do a great job organizing the events. Every dog is a winner, and no one goes home without at least one ribbon. The dogs are happy and exhausted by the time the events are over!
I also must give a huge thank you to Bob, Patty and family (NewEnglandCamper) for organizing a special Friday night social for some of the That’s Camping forum regulars. It was so much fun to meet some of the great people that have made the forum such a wonderful place to hang out.
Shout outs go to:
It was so nice to meet ya’all with your families and pets.
To view photos from the weekend, please visit the Pets Weekend album in our Photo Gallery.
The Little Ponderosa Campground in Boothbay, Maine has closed for business. What a shame. It is a fantastic campground. Very quaint and peaceful. About a week ago, we inquired about reservations, and we ended up choosing to stay at the Shore Hills Campground instead. It is good that they are returning deposits to their customers, in time for them to make reservations elsewhere. Plus, they could have just went out of business without returning any money at all. Very decent of them!
This is the message on their web site:
I don’t know if it is a permanent situation, I really hope that it is just for this year or two. Perhaps they can find a buyer. I really hope it stays as a campground, and doesn’t get sold for land to build houses or something. Some conglomerate hopefully won’t scoop it up for condos on the water.
Thanks to MaxFox, one of our web site visitors, for bringing this to our attention. We wish the owners of Little Ponderosa Campground good luck in the future!
We went to the NH Camping & RV show this afternoon (at the Armory in Manchester) and I wanted to write my review right away, just in case others were wondering if they should go or not. It is a small show, but packed with lots of campground booths, and a few small trailers and pop-ups. It was nice to see the A-liner trailer, and so many of the “cute” smaller RVs that are usually missing from most of the larger shows.
If you can brave the snow, tomorrow would be a great time to head there. Since everyone will be stuck digging themselves out from the snow, the show should have the same intimate feel that we experienced.
We arrived at approximately 4pm (Friday); it really pays to go during the less busy time of day because you can really talk in depth with the campground owners and staff. We asked a lot of questions, looked at campground photo albums, and grabbed a bunch of brochures. It got me in the mood for camping and I am looking forward to this season. Problem is, there are so many campgrounds are interesting in, I don’t know how to choose.
Some intriguing campgrounds:
My review would not be complete without a shout out to my buddy Rocky from Papoose Pond - I see him (and his lovely wife) at most of the camping shows, and he always makes me laugh! We haven’t visited Papoose Pond since 2005 and maybe this year we’ll return.
I also would like to mention Flat Rock Bridge Resort in Lebanon, Maine. It was so nice to finally meet John in person. He is still working hard updating the campground, and I am glad to hear they are really doing well.
And to the person (you KNOW who you are!) that complained that my review of the New England Camping Show was too harsh (hehee, I believe “blistering” was the word you used), I hope you like this one better!!!
Check out the New Hampshire Camping & RV Show - running this weekend from Friday (Feb 29) to Sunday (March 2) - get an online coupon and get the directions to the Armory at the UCampNH website.
At the last minute, we decided to check out the New England Camping & RV Show this afternoon. This year the show is in Foxboro, MA at Gillette Stadium. Easy access off Rt 1. Free parking. $9 adult admission.
The show was much smaller than when it was held in Boston; Mike estimated that it was only about a quarter to a third the size of past shows.
Quite frankly, we were disappointed, and I don't know if we will be back next year. The list of participating campgrounds has dwindled. In their place, were typical commercial advertisers, like gutter installers, Newpro, and financial services. Advertisers that really had nothing to do with camping or RVs. Danforth Bay (and the Bluffs) bowed out of the show, as did a lot of the other regular campgrounds. From the NAExpo web site, here are the campgrounds that participated:
There was a much smaller area reserved for the camping supplies store. (They had the same outdoor patio rugs and lounge chairs for sale.) The Pro Bass (Outdoor World) store had more reserved space than some of the RV dealers, showcasing their boats and ATVs. I believe there was only one dealership with pop-up trailers on display (Forest Marine), but the big thing this year seemed to be the Toy Hauler RVs.
Here are some observations and photos (click each thumbnail for larger view)
Why do RV designers put sinks and showers in the bedroom. I have noticed this consistently in 5th Wheel trailers over the past few years. I don't understand it. Yes, I know it saves space, but remove a few inches from the bedroom and put up a wall and door where it should be. There obviously must be some campers that don't care about this, but I would rather have a separate room for my bathroom.
This was a campsite display set up by Outdoor World (Bass Pro Shop) - I thought the mannequin models were funny, but a little creepy.
I like the Lance truck campers. Lance is one of the few RV manufacturers that make a good solid quality product. I think we would consider a larger truck camper to travel in our retirement years. The Lance model #1055 - (10ft 11in) looked good. Not a lot of storage, but fairly roomy for a truck camper. And the bathroom is full sized. Check out all the Lancer photos in our show web album.
The Lance Truck Camper model #1191 - (11ft 6in) is very large, with a slide out. Still not massive amounts of storage, but there is a lot of room to move around. You need a super super duty (450 or 4500) to carry this camper. Here is the dinette area. Check out all the Lancer photos in our show web album.
When we walked past one of the Sprinter bunkhouse RVs, we noticed that the bathroom was at the back with an external door. It's right beside the bunk room. I asked a saleswomen about it, and she said that families like it because kids don't have to traipse through the RV to go to the bathroom. They can open the door from outside and visit the bathroom without tracking dirt through the whole RV. Hmm, I am not sure how I feel about this. Do parents like this sort of thing? It might pose a security issue if someone forgets to lock the door when leaving the campsite. We also saw another manufacturer had the same option on their RV too.
Fuzion RV makes toy hauling 5th Wheels, but their decor is butt-ugly in my opinion. Mike loved it, but I thought the black & red was hideous. No offense Fuzion, because I really did like the layout more than any other toy hauler I have seen. The good thing about the Fuzion is the "garage" area is completely separated from the living space with a sliding glass door. Most toy haulers don't have enough room, and the toys are stored in the same area as you sleep and eat. If gas or oil is spilled, I can imagine how bad the RV will smell. Yuck!
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It really sounds like the review of the show is more negative than positive, and yeah, it was a disappointing day, but we ended up visiting the Outdoor World store next door, and that made the drive down to Foxboro worth it. More on Outdoor World in another review.
Be sure to check out all the show photos in our web album or the album slide show.
We have a great conversation going on the forum. What games do you like to play while camping?
So far, we have:
Let us know what you play either by posting a comment, or joining in at the forum.
Thanks to Lucas for starting the conversation!
We visited Bear Brook State Park today, and were pleasantly surprised to find the Snowmobile Museum with many vintage snowmobiles on display. The museum is open on Saturdays from 1-3pm and is located in Bear Brook State Park (Allenstown, NH)
It was so interesting to view unique homemade snowmobiles, various vintage Polaris snowmobiles, and a whole row of Ski-doo snowmobiles from past years.
Check out the photos I took today at the Snowmobile Museum; here are a couple of my favorites:
I just found out this fun fact on Christmas eve, did you know that if you count the cricket chirps for 14 seconds, then add 40, that is the temperature. Now, obviously, it won’t work in winter, but it will be a fun activity to try in summer!
More info:
Bob (newenglandcamper) recently posted this review on the forum, and has allowed us to post it as an article. We have enjoyed the Yankee Smokehouse several times while camping in the area, but I guess I never sat down and wrote an official review. Thanks Bob for allowing us to post your review!
Yankee Smokehouse is located at the Jct. of 16 & 25 in West Ossipee, NH 603-539-RIBS (7427) - Web site: http://www.yankeesmokehouse.com/
From Bob’s Forum post:
Patty, the kids, and I enjoyed a nice dinner with a new seasonal friend of ours at the Yankee Smokehouse in West Ossipee, NH. I shared a whole rack of ribs (~$20) with my company which in my opinions was enough food for 3 hungry men or a family of 4. The ribs were good, tender, and tasty and was served with a warm bottle of extra bbq sauce. However, during this visit, I realized that I’m not exactly a ribs lover and politely offered the left overs to our guest (which there was plenty). I also had ordered a side of cole slaw and a side of steak fries which was really too big for me to eat. The cole slaw was very good and had a light mustard season to it and the fries were excellent as well. The kids enjoyed their chicken fingers ($5.99) and mozerella sticks ($6.99) but I thought the prices for the kids meal were slightly steep.
While I thought my meal was just good, Patty on the other hand really enjoyed her Smoked BBQ chicken dinner ($10.99). For sides, she had the baked beans, 1/2 ear of corn, and some french fries. Each meal was served with Texas Toast. Patty really enjoyed this and she knows her breads!
We visited in the off-season and found that the service was excellent (especially after compared to our last visit to a local establishment)! Not only to us but to the couple that was sitting across from us. Very accommodating.
As expected, this is NOT a fancy restaurant (i.e., jeans recommended) but is very clean and warm (both for a cold night and to enjoy a pleasant evening with your family or friends). The decor is neatly decorated with cute little piggies everywhere: ornaments, wallpaper, curtains, etc. This place is EXTREMELY popular during motorcycle season and summer season.
If you want tasty BBQ food, BIG portions, at a good price the Yankee Smokehouse won’t disappoint! Just driving by and experiencing the aroma from your car makes you want to stop in. We did tonight on our way up to DB but already had dinner planned. We will definately go back! I would like to try some of their beef and chicken dishes.
If I could change something—I wish they would shake up their sides dishes and offer some new items (e.g., fresh veggies, mashed or baked potatoes, squash, seasonal items, etc.)
We went to Danforth Bay for Labor Day weekend, and had a great time.
Sunday, we took a drive down the backroads toward Wakefield, NH. We figured we would check out the Miss Wakefield Diner. It was always so busy when we have driven by on our trips home from the Ossipee area, so we figured it might be a good spot for our dinner.
It was not crowded when we arrived, so we immediately sat at a booth. The restaurant is an authentic old diner, with diner food on the menu. Breakfast, sandwiches, pasta, fried seafood, burgers, Salisbury steak, etc. I had been in the mood for Italian food for days, so I decided to give the lasagna & meatballs a try. Mike ordered fried scallops.
We normally order ice water for beverages, but it is clearly listed on the menu that they only serve bottled water (75 cents); so, I ordered a bottle of water, and Mike decided to go for their private label Birch Beer.
My lasagna included a salad, which arrived before our meals, and it was delicious. No iceberg lettuce (yuck) - just some fresh green romaine lettuce, with tomatoes, onions, and I think cukes. If I were to guess, I think the salad veggies were fresh from a local farm. Shortly after, our dinners were served. Mike’s scallops were a heaping helping, with french fries and cole slaw. I mooched a scallop and it was very sweet and tasty. Mike enjoyed his meal.
My lasagna looked wonderful, and with my first bite, I was so happy. But the more I ate, the more I decided that the sauce was too tomatoe-ish. Or maybe they just put too much sauce on the lasagna. I am a huge lover of tomato sauce, but I really couldn’t put my finger on what I didn’t like about this. The garlic toast was so-so, basically just some thick butter toast. I didn’t taste garlic. I would have been happy if they sprinkled on some garlic powder even!
My conclusion is I don’t think they have a flair for Italian food, but I would definitely go back for a second trip. I wish they had more “diner” food on the menu, like a meatloaf dinner (they did have a meatloaf sandwich). There was a lot to choose from, and I think I would have been happier if I ordered a different meal.
The MIss Wakefield Diner is located on Route 16 in Sanborntonville, New Hampshire. Give them a try!
UPDATE: We phoned Sammy’s to inquire about their Italian Buffet while we were camping in July 2007. They do not offer it anymore! Too bad.
(ORIGINAL review from August 12, 2006)
While driving on Rt 16 in Tamworth, NH, we noticed an intriguing outdoor banner advertising the Wednesday night $9.95 Italian Buffet.
Luckily, on Wednesday night I was craving spaghetti, so we decided to check it out. The menu is extensive: pastas, seafood, steaks, but the buffet looked good so we opted for that.
There were two buffet tables set up. The salad buffet was extensive and offered many choices; The hot Italian table offered at least two choices of pizza, fettuccine with tomato sauce & sausage, a ziti & pepper dish, extra tomato sauce, and excellent cheesy garlic bread. No, it wasn’t as large-scale as other buffets, for example a Chinese restaurant buffet, but sometimes the restaurants with lots of choices aren’t necessarily very appetizing. This buffet offered a few good choices, and it was delicious.
The two buffet tables are situated in an awkward location, one side of each table is a “dead end” so you have to back out of that side. If there are two people on one side, it could be difficult to maneuver around the buffet line. We had arrived around 7pm, and it wasn’t too busy, so there was no real trouble navigating the buffet tables.
Otherwise, the food was delicious, the staff was pleasant, the restaurant was clean, and we took a walk to the Inn’s lobby and it was very appealing.
If you are in the mood for Italian, steaks, or seafood, we recommend trying Sammy’s Paw Print in Tamworth, NH. Try their Wednesday Italian buffet too!
August 26, 2007:
After a bad thunder windstorm at Danforth Bay, we decided just to go out for a late dinner. We had company up so we decided to treat them to Pizza Barn for some good Pizza. Pizza Barn was closed due to the POWER outage from the storm. This led us to Sammy’s Paw Print in Tamworth, NH (which had power) - BIG MISTAKE!!!
Here are our observations:
* Extremely Poor Service:
- Got snickers from the Waitress when our niece was ordering a drink because she didn’t know right away.
- No hostess
- The one waitress in the entire resturant was very unfriendly and UN-Professional
- Bartender was not friendly either nor did she try to help the waitress out. The bar area was not busy at all.
- Order for 2 pizzas, fries, onion rings, took well over 1 hour before we got the Pizza. Not fun with a whiny 3 year old.
- Our 2nd round of drinks was not filled for our main course. We had to ask for them to refilled and it took about 10 MORE minutes for them to be brought to us. By this time Patty went to the car with Cam (our 3 year old).
- 18% Tip automatically added to our bill because our party was 7 people
- This was a Saturday summer night and they only had 1 waitress!!!
* Bad Menu
- We got like 2 to 3 menus per person but there was no drinks
* Food
- Onion rings were really good
- French Fries were good
- Pizza was OK; They advertise as the “Best Pizza in Town”. Don’t believe it! Better than White Lakes but Pizza Barn has them beat hands down.
* Facilities
- Bathrooms were down right scary. They were dark, ugly yellow tiles 1960s era on the walls.
- Dining room was average but their was paint pealing in places
- Out table was sticky (not properly cleaned)
- It makes you think what does the kitchen look like? Patty didn’t feel well after eating there the next day
* Overall:
- This place has potential but needs a refurbishment.
- They need new waitstaff, hostess, and a new bartender as well as an upgrade on their facilities.
The tip should have been more like 5 to 10% but I didn’t argue this. Avoid this place if you are staying at Danforth Bay or the Ossipee area.
The NHTSA RV recall list from the RVtravel.com newsletter - July 2007
http://rvtravel.com/publish/news/july07RVrecalls.shtml
I pose this question to all of you.
True or False? You are responsible for your own pleasant camping experience AND you are responsible for the pleasant experience of the other campground guests.
The campground owners and staff can only do so much, it is up to each camper to be courteous and respectful.
So, what to you think? Post a comment below, or on our discussion board!
One of our long time site supporters, Bowcamper, posted this restaurant review on the discussion forum; she graciously allowed me to add it as an article.
Jonathon’s is located at 280 East Side Road in Conway, NH.
It is a great seafood place with local atmosphere. They have the typical seafood fare with Land Lubber choices as well. These are steak, charbroiled chicken and fried chicken tenders. For the kids they have tuna rolls, hot dogs, hamburgers and cheeseburgers and BBQ chicken sandwiches. They offer baked potato, linguine, rice pilaf or mac & cheese for a paltry 1.95. They will fry, broil or bake anything on the menu. The prices are great and they offer Market Prices for the lobster, scallops and clams. They have a full liquor license and take all forms of plastic. They have a great dessert menu—lemon meringue pie, strawberry shortcake, apple pie, blueberry, cheesecake, brownie sundae and vanilla ice cream!
It is a clean, cozy place located just down the street from a covered bridge. We love Jonathon’s, but also saw a Real Estate flier within the restaurant. They are looking to sell it!
BTW, I got the lazy man’s lobster, my hubby got the baked three way. My daughter got the clam roll (pretty big!) and we all shared the fried calamari. The boys got chicken and hamburgers…. With the 5 of us, the bill came to $64.00. Not bad for seafood. Hope it’s still there next time we go!
It sounds like a terrific place, thanks Bowcamper for allowing me to add it to our articles section!
If anyone has a favorite restaurant, please share it with us on the Food Board!
We started a new board on our forum for pets. Come join us on our forum to chat about pets, whether they camp or not!
I am just about finished packing for our first camping trip for the 2007 season. Yay!
We’re heading out to Danforth Bay in Freedom, NH tomorrow afternoon for the weekend. Some of the folks from the discussion forum are also heading up for the weekend, so it should be a lot of fun.
I always dread getting prepared for the “first” trip; I feel out of practice with the whole camping routine, and I feel I am going to forget something important. This time, it didn’t do too bad. I printed out our packing list, and went out to the camper to check the “inventory” against the list. That way I will know what’s needed from the house.
Well, everyone have a great weekend! Stay safe!
Storyland in Glen New Hampshire will open on Memorial Day Weekend with new ownership. The new owners Kennywood Entertainment also purchased Heritage-NH, which just closed its doors in 2006. Unfortunately there doesn’t look to be immediate plans to reopen Heritage.
To read more,
In regards to public wifi (wireless Internet), how many of us don't realize that we are allowing personal data to be compromised by prying eyes?
In your home, you might have a wireless router, so your laptop can connect to the Internet while you are lounging in the yard, watching TV or eating dinner. If you are security conscience, you enabled the router firewall, enabled WPA and set a good strong password so no one outside your family network can access your connection or hack into your computer. As long as your security is strong, you are probably very safe surfing wirelessly in your home.
To learn how to configure the security settings on a Linksys router, read the tutorial I wrote.
On the road, whether accessing the Internet from a Starbucks Coffee Shop, hotel, airport, or in an RV Park, chances are there is no security between your computer and the Internet. Access is left open, so it is easy for anyone to use. Keeping access open also allows data sniffers to grab any un-encrypted data you send over the air.
You might say to yourself, oh who cares? I am not surfing anywhere special so if someone wants to view my activity, let them!
Let's talk about why you should be concerned.
Now before you get too worried, let's look at what IS secure.
Any https (secure/locked) site. That means purchases made on Amazon.com (or other secure shopping sites) are safe no matter where you are browsing. Take a look at the address bar in your browser, if you see the https: as part of the URL, then you are safe. There should also be a little "lock" icon at the bottom in the status bar.
NOTE: don't assume you aren't secure, if you don't see the https displayed in the address bar. For example, it might not be a secure page where you type your member info at Amazon.com. But as soon as you hit the "Sign In" button, a script on a secure page is processing the data. You will then see the page url display https. Your member name and password have been encrypted and cannot be compromised.
I think I have found a good email solution for when we are away from home. Gmail from Google.com offers free web mail, along with a secure connection to access the mail. As long as you connect to your account using the https://gmail.google.com URL (and not through the http://gmail.google.com URL,) the connection remains secure and you can safely receive and send your email. Just keep checking the address bar for the https in the URL.
So how would a Gmail account help you? Well, if you set up your home mail account to forward a copy of each email to gmail, then you can access your mail through gmail.
When sending email, you have a choice to send as your home email or the gmail account. Click the Settings link in gmail. Navigate to the Accounts tab, and add the address of your main account to the "Send Mail As" list. Gmail has to verify the validity of your email, so make sure to complete this process when you are home and have access to your email accounts. After your email has been verified, you can compose a new message using any of your email addresses. Back in the Settings>Account tab, you can set which of your emails should be the default choice. Very handy I think.
Since Gmail offers over 2.5gb of file space, I am already using it as a backup for several email accounts. Gmail also offers POP Access, so when you are home, you can access your Gmail with Thunderbird and Outlook Express.
So how do you post new entries or images to your blog without compromising your user name and password with an insecure connection? Some blogging software offer a moblogging feature, which means that you can post entries through email instead of through the admin area of your blog. Set up your account to accept an email entry from your gmail account, and use Gmail's secure URL to post your new entries. (See above for gmail information.)
If you have your own hosting account (for your own domain web site), ask your hosting provider if they offer Shell Access (SSH.) If so, it could be possible to access your web site through SFTP. I have not personally used SFTP on any Windows software, but Filezilla is one client to look into, along with WinSCP. Both are free to download and use. For Mac OS X users, I recommend Transmit and also CyberDuck.
If you are a geek that likes to mess with deep complex projects, then configuring your own VPN (Virtual Private Network) is a great way to securely access the Internet while away from home. This subject is much too vast and complicated for this article, but if you check out the podcast mentioned in the next section below, you will find a ton of information.
In the meantime, there are commercial companies that allow you to sign on to their networks for secure surfing. Some of these companies are Anonymizer, HotSpotVPN, and PublicVPN.
Personally, I have used the services of HotSpotVPN and it worked very well. It was inexpensive, and I didn't experience any trouble browsing the Internet. It gave me peace of mind.
If you are curious to learn more about securing your wifi connection and general computing security, I highly recommend listening to the Security Now podcast. In plain English, Leo Laporte (of TechTV and Call For Help fame) and Steve Gibson (highly regarded security expert from GRC) explain how to keep your system safe on and offline. Besides the audio podcast, there are links to show notes and transcripts. I have learned a tremendous amount of information from listening to their shows each week. You do not have to have iTunes or an iPod to listen; you can listen to the audio right from the web site.
Bottom line, I am not saying that your data is going to be grabbed every time you browse the web using public wifi; in fact, you might be absolutely safe. But since there is no way for you to know when someone is sniffing for data, why take the chance? Keep your computer safe. Whether you are on a Windows or Mac system, always keep a firewall running, and disable file sharing for all programs and applications. Windows uses MUST keep their anti-virus and anti-spyware programs up to date.
That's all for now!
Articles on the subject
(Updated from January 29, 2006)
The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) has issued several RV recalls including
Read a few more details from RV Travel, along with a full list of all vehicle recalls on safety-recalls.com (click the alphabetical links at the bottom of the page)
RVTravel.com has posed the question: $4 a gallon gas may be coming. How would that affect your RVing?
With over 3800 responses, approximately 23% stated that higher gas prices will have no effect on RV travel. According to RVTravel.com, their poll results are the opposite of the findings from the Recreation Vehicle Industry Association (RVIA). The recent RVIA press release states that RV travel will increase this spring and summer.
Last April, we discussed the high gas prices on the That’s Camping forum, and even though we only had 13 poll votes, 70% stated that they would camp about the same.
Personally, our camping plans are substantially less this year, but it was not due to the hike in gas prices. I guess it will be a mixed blessing; we have so much to do around the new house, and keeping close to home will ultimately save us money. But truthfully, if circumstances were different, our plans would probably be the same as any other year.
So what are your thoughts? Whether you are a seasonal or transient camper, will your travel plans change due to the high gas prices? Please post your comments here, or (even better) participate in this years forum poll.
Thanks to the Flintstones for bringing this to our attention!
Danforth Bay will be open year round, with a limited number of sites available during the off season in November, December, and March. Great news!
One of our long time visitors, Carl, sent us his review of Microsoft Streets & Trips 2007 software:
We purchased Microsoft Streets & Trips 2007 with GPS to use on a Coast to Coast trip and want to warn others about it. The 120+ dollars was a TOTAL WASTE. Microsoft products and support which has been going downhill, has finally hit bottom.
We were planning to use it to plot one to two days in advance where we would be and where to stay. Needless to stay, the laptop spent most of the trip in the case. My $250.00 MIO GPS which was purchased early on into the trip, ran circles around it.
For instance, I was sitting in a campground in California looking for another campground to go to. Streets & Trips showed only three campgrounds for the whole state of CA. There are around three hundred in that state at least. Later I was able to get it to show more campgrounds (works somewhat on Cape Cod not in CA??). The only problem, according to the software, was the campgrounds in Orange CA were south of Dana Point. To New Englanders that would be the equivalent of looking for a campground in Dover NH and the program showing them around Boston MA. How happy would you be to drive all distance for nothing?
Trying to get help at Microsoft is a joke. All they want you to do is use the web pages for the USELESS FAQS. One FAQ sent me to the people who wrote the mapping software. If I remember correctly, they wanted $50 for me to get the corrected data. Microsoft later said I needed to be online to get it to work. Sure, we carry a 3500 mile phone line/Cable behind us. When I tried while parked a WIFI spot it still would not work online, kept getting “page not found errors from Microsoft.com. Found out later you have to use Explorer 7.0, not Netscape etc.
What I did do (go there yourself if you don’t believe me) was go to the user group pages for 2007 road and trip. There was page after page of people with the same problems all getting the same answer (that is No answer) from Microsoft.
Thanks Carl for sharing your review of this software. It is too bad that you had such a negative experience with the software, but I am sure it will help other campers considering to purchase
Amazon is having a sale on Coleman grills and stoves.
Here is a cute Coleman stove and grill combo
Coleman Road Trip LXE grill is also on sale at $40 off retail price:
There are ten products on sale, so check the full page. Some products include free shipping, depending on weight and size. It looks like the sale ends on April 1, 2007
Here is the schedules for the 2007 season RV & Camping Show (boat shows too)
Remember to check the RVIA.org to search for RV shows.
Related Web site links:
Well it’s about that time when all good Northeast campers begin to winterize their RV’s and get ready for the long winter months ahead. The leaves are turning, the air is crisp and the first snow fall will be here before you know it!
So, let’s all bundle up, drink a mug of warm cocoa, and sit around the virtual campfire to share our favorite memory (or memories) of the 2006 camping season.
I’ll start.
We have so many wonderful memories this year, but I think the one that stands out is our trip to Danforth Bay in May for Pets Weekend. Our niece was with us, and since she is getting older, she doesn’t have time to camp with us very often anymore, so this was a special trip.
Mindy our Rat Terrier also had a great time. She loves competing and won a ribbon for Musical Chairs.
We walked a lot, laughed a lot, ate some great food at the Pizza Barn, and had a really nice time. Danforth Bay is great in the peak summer months, but there is definitely fun to camp on the off-season months in spring and fall. I like camping in the chillier months, it feels so cozy!
So, now it is your turn.
Do you have a favorite memory from this season? Leave a comment below or email us. Comments will remain open for this article until the end of April.
The Bluffs at Danforth Bay is a brand new Adult (50+) Seasonal Camping Community located in Freedom, New Hampshire. Sites are available for $3150 plus metered electric and an optional $100 winter on-site storage fee. Cable TV, Internet access, guest fees and canoe/kayak usage are all included in your yearly seasonal fee.
If you can’t wait until next season, there is a discounted rate of $1800 to stay from August to mid-November.
For those wanting to sign up for next year (mid-April to mid-Nov) a $500 is required, and you have the option to choose your site after September 1st.
Open House tours are available on Saturday, August 26 starting at 11am.
On Friday afternoon, Diane took Mike and me on an “official” tour of the Bluffs and to be honest, I was really impressed. So impressed, that for a few brief minutes I considered lying about our age, and signing up on the spot.
We fell in love with the Club House area. I think this is really the heart and soul of the campground.
Outside you’ll find two heated (salt water) pools and 3 tennis courts. Several canoes/kayaks are available for peaceful access to Huckins Pond.
When you walk inside the Club House (top floor), the large function area is outstanding. Lots of tables and chairs. High vaulted ceilings, and windows galore with access the wrap around deck out back (with a stunning view.) Several cozy sitting areas to read quietly or access the Internet. A large TV screen with DVDs along with a juke box. Access to a small full kitchen is great for functions or just a snack with friends.
Head downstairs, and you’ll find the laundry, showers/restrooms, fitness room, game room (pool tables, etc) and a wonderful library room. Both upstairs and downstairs are handicapped accessible.
No one under 21 years of age is allowed to utilize most amenities at the Bluffs; but members with younger guests will have no problem accessing all of Danforth Bay’s amenities, which includes 3 pools, 2 lake beaches, tennis courts, boating, playgrounds, entertainment, snack bar, and camp store.
Security is important at the Bluffs. Unlike Danforth Bay, there is a key pass (keypad), not a card pass. Each seasonal gets their own code and Danforth Bay guests (coming in by car or golf cart) are not able to access the grounds.
Most of the camp sites are large and spacious. They offer a little something for everyone’s tastes: sunny & open or more private. There are even some available for two or more “friends” that want sites close together.
If you like being near the action, there are many (sunny and open) sites available right near the Club House/pool area. There are also other sites that are still close by, but are a little more private, away from the business of the Club House area.
On our tour, Diane drove by many friendly, happy campers. We stopped and spoke to a couple with 3 precious Westie dogs and a gorgeous site. Besides fantastic landscaping, they had the most heavenly view of the mountains and fields below. The views from some sites at the top is breathtaking.
The good news is there are still a lot of good sites available. They are hosting an Open House on Saturday, August 26 starting at 11AM. If you are looking for a new seasonal campsite, or if even if you are curious about seasonal camping and what it offers, it is a great opportunity to check out the Bluffs for yourself. There will be personal golf cart tours, or if you rather take a tour on your own that is also possible.
New England Camper has written a wonderful review (with photos) of Diana’s Bath, located in North Conway, New Hampshire (White Mountains.)
Here are a few more links for Diana’s Bath and NH Waterfalls
AOL has recently opened their “gated garden” and allowing us non-members access to their site.
Today, I decided to sign up for a free AOL email account. AOL has a reputation as a horrendous nightmare for designers and web programmers since AOL (in their infinite wisdom) decides almost all mail is spam or blocks email from certain scripts all together. I figured it would be a good way to test scripts.
Anyway, to make a long story short, I went to That’s Camping and signed up for updates list using my new AOL email address; everything seemed to work fine. I just need to receive the confirmation email to finalize my subscription. I looked in my AOL inbox, and nope, nothing. Kept hitting the new mail button…nada.
So, I checked the Spam folder…what a surprise (sarcasm added here), there is my confirmation email from That’s Camping. sigh. So, that means that most of the AOL users that try to subscribe to the updates list will probably not get their confirmation email unless they check their spam folder.
The confirmation email is needed to finalize the actual subscription so if the user doesn’t hit the link in the email, then they are not added to the updates list.
Sorry if I offended any of our visitors, but I really really really hate AOL.
For those that have tried to subscribe to our updates list using your AOL account, make sure to check the spam folder for the confirmation email.
Looking to do something fun and educational in New Hampshire? Visit the Remick Museum and Farm in Tamworth. Admission is free, and they also give tours.
For a sneak peek, take a look at our photos from our summer 2005 visit:
The Remick Farm is located on 58 Cleveland Hill Road, Tamworth, New Hampshire - check their web site for more details:
http://www.remickmuseum.org
[Tamworth is located south of Conway and north of Ossipee, NH]
Ron, one of our regular forum contributors, suggested that we should talk about what to do when a thunderstorm hits while you are camping. I agreed that it is an important topic, so I dug around google for some links:
Join us on our forum to discuss camping and thunderstorms.
We took our new (Old Town Twin Otter) kayak for a couple of trips last week.
On Friday, we took one last blast to Huckins Pond (New Hampshire) and brought along our Rat Terrier, Mindy. We originally thought it was going to be a short trip, with her wiggling and fussing, but she really seemed to enjoy the ride!
I think she looked adorable in her life preserver!
View all our kayaking photos.
We can’t wait to bring Mindy on more kayak trips this summer!
We have enjoyed camping at Fransted Campground in Franconia, New Hampshire. I uploaded many of the photos taken over the years. Lots of campsite shots, along photos of the landscaping & facilities.
View our Fransted Campground photos on picasaweb.google.com
Well, here it is, Thursday afternoon, and tomorrow will be our last full day at Danforth Bay. sigh.
:(
We had a great week!
Sunday night, we watched the Incredibles on our big screen “sit-in” movie - Mike’s family is also camping this week, and it is a tradition to watch a dvd movie on the projection screen.
Monday morning, we went on the 10am nature walk to Trout Pond. Bob and Patty (newenglandcamper) recommended this guided tour to us, and we are so glad we participated. It was a small group this week, and Craig and Nick were informative and entertaining on this historical walk through old Shawtown to Trout Pond. Highly recommended! Look for it on the weekly schedule on Monday!
Tuesday, we had a scary lightening thunderstorm roll through, and Mindy was shaking! Hmm, I guess I was shaking a little bit too, waiting for a tree to fall on our trailer! We faired the storm, but Danforth Bay’s water pumps were hit, so we lost our water later in the day. It was back up by the Wednesday morning.
Last night, we made our traditional trip to the Pizza Barn. I ordered a mini mushroom/hamburg, but was jealous of my inlaw’s bacon pizza. The good news is the waiter messed up the order, so we ended up with medium pizzas, instead of small/minis; he charged us for the minis. We even braved the hard rainfall after dinner to head to Kranky Franky’s for ice cream (I got my favorite carrot cake instead)
Today, I am just hanging out. It is after 5pm, Mike is at the pool with his family, and I am sitting up in the Depot using wifi. I am going to miss it here when we leave on Saturday. sigh.
After so many days of searching and researching, we finally found a good price on a tandem kayak in stock! I figured I would post some of my notes to help anyone else looking.
Well, if anyone is searching for a kayak, good luck. If you already have a kayak or canoe, leave a comment on which model you have. We’ll leave the comments open on this article for 60 days.
Have a great summer of kayaking fun! We can’t wait to try ours, but we need paddles first!
I uploaded a bunch of photos for many individual campsites at Danforth Bay Camping Resort in Freedom, NH.
I would love other visitors to also join flickr.com where we can create Northeast Camping groups, and share our photos. Flickr is such a powerful photo tool; its tagging system is awesome!
Take a look at these two regional groups and you will see what I mean. It can develop into a nice photo community.
http://www.flickr.com/groups/nh/
http://www.flickr.com/groups/newengland/
If anyone is interested, I started our own group over at flickr just for sharing Northeast Campground photos.
http://www.flickr.com/groups/northeast-camping/
Anyone can view the photos, you do not need to be a member, but to add your photos to the group, you need a flickr membership. Joining is easy, especially if you already have a yahoo account.
Searching the group for specific photos is easy with flickr tags (keywords). Here is the list of tags for the That’s Camping group:
http://www.flickr.com/groups/northeast-camping/pool/tags/
Flickr FAQ: http://www.flickr.com/faq.gne
Since many of our visitors pay close attention to how old a review is, and when it was posted, there will now be a notation displayed on all campground reviews older than three years. This hopefully will organize the older reviews better, and allow our visitors to know immediately that the review is older.
I recently heard about Upshot photo editing software from Bellamax.
For a limited time, it is a free (windows only) download; after June 30, the cost will be $30. I can’t test it on my Mac, since they don’t have a Macintosh version yet, but I downloaded the file anyway.
I have heard many good things about the software; the one-touch fix feature is very effective! But there are still a few bugs to be worked out. If you love digital photography, try the software and let us know what you think.
The Whole Foods Market corporation is committed to high quality standards. Quoting from their web site:
We carry natural and organic products because we believe that food in its purest state — unadulterated by artificial additives, sweeteners, colorings, and preservatives — is the best tasting and most nutritious food available.
Our business is to sell the highest quality foods we can find at the most competitive prices possible. We evaluate quality in terms of nutrition, freshness, appearance, and taste. Our search for quality is a never-ending process involving the careful judgment of buyers throughout the company.
I arrived at the Woburn, Massachusetts Whole Foods Market early this afternoon, and was blown away. Yes, I have visited many natural grocery stores, but this felt different right from the beginning.
Let me be clear, this isn't the store for normal grocery shopping. It could be expensive to purchase items like laundry detergent or canned peas. Oh that is, unless you want environmentally friendly soap or organic peas. 
Stick to Market Basket or Shaws for the bulk of your grocery needs.
I initially encountered the produce department, and I immediately noticed the "design" of the veggies and fruit. Everything looked fresh and green (except that the tomatoes were a little squishy.) Yes, the prices are higher than other grocery stores, but I don't mind paying extra for better quality veggies and fruit. I felt like a kid in a candy store.
Speaking of a candy store, right past the produce, you walk by the chocolate deli. Fudge and other chocolate delights can be purchased.
Dairy is next, and it was wonderful to find products that I normally didn't find at our local Shaws or Stop and Shop. For example, the pint size Silk soy milk and individually sized Kozy Shack pudding 4 pack.
I wandered to the meat display case, and was overwhelmed with the choices before me. I ordered lots of chicken sausages (some really yummy flavors), along with skin-on boneless chicken breast and some beef burgers filled with mushrooms and onions.
As I walked toward the far end of the store, I realized what sets the Whole Foods Market apart from the other natural food stores. The prepared foods department is special. Buffet tables were set up for hot foods, cold foods, a vast salad bar, and a chowder bar. The dessert bar offered large cakes and other spoonable desserts. I was amazed at the choices; I don't think I remembered it all. I believe there was a set price of $7.99 a pound, and there were tables set up beyond the registers, so all you needed to do was pay and find a seat for a quick lunch or dinner.
Beside the self-serve prepared food buffet tables, there was the display cases filled with bakery goods, panini sandwiches, sushi, sliced deli meats, salads, meats, rices, fish, and the list goes on.
I can't wait to bring Mike back into the store for dinner one night! And since I love fish, and Mike doesn't, I plan on purchasing a single serving of prepared fish or crab cakes, and Mike can choose another dish. It makes perfect sense! I also have plans to find some food items for our next vacation!
Overall, it is not outrageously expensive, but it might not be the first place to visit for your weekly shopping list. But if you sometimes yearn for healthier food choices, I highly recommend visiting the Whole Foods Market once a month or so.
Sign up for their Flavors Newsletter, or if you are into audio, they also offer a podcast as well.
So, where are the best burger joints?
We became addicted to Fuddruckers when they recently opened their new restaurant in the Jordan's Furniture store in Reading, MA.
They offer excellent burgers....from a generous 1/3 lb to a mammoth 1 lb, there is a burger sized for everyone. And not just burgers, I happen to love their turkey and veggie burgers as well. If you still want something more, they also have chicken sandwiches (crispy or grilled), fish sandwiches, steak sandwiches, and hot dogs.
It is easy to add your own toppings, like lettuce, tomatoes, onions, ketchup at their self-serve bar, but you can also grilled onions & mushrooms, and cheese.
The french fries are tasty. I give their onion rings a "B-" not the best, but still good. I don't really like their baked beans, but Mike does. I do like their side salad and cole slaw. Their desserts are heavenly...cookies and brownies. Try the coconut/macaroon cookie, it is to die for! If you are into ice cream shakes and malts, then they offer those too!
All in all, Fuddruckers is a great burger joint, but there are only a few locations in the Northeast
If you live near a Fuddruckers, then check them out!
We made Wild Willy's Burgers a regular dinner stop when we visited the York, Maine area. When we found out there were two more locations, we were ecstatic, especially when the one in Rochester, New Hampshire is a quick stop on route to Danforth Bay and the Ossipee, NH area.
Besides a bevy of delectably topped beef burgers, they also offer a veggie burger (delicious) along with chicken and haddock sandwiches.
Their onion rings are home made and yummy, I wish they made larger chunks of onions though. Their rings are a sliced thin. The french fries are delicious, hand-cut and the skins are left on! Mike loves their draft root beer!
Hopefully you can visit a location near you:
So what about McDonald's, Wendy's and Burger King? Do these restaurants count as burger joints?
I think if most kids were to comment, the answer would be a resounding Yes! Personally, we like Wendy's. I feel they offer the most healthy choices compared to the other two and I love their salads.
So what do you think? Let us know where you go for a burger craving. Post a comment on this article, or head over to our Discussion Forum to converse with other campers about their favorite burgers.
Hey all! Since last season’s Favorite Camping Memory (2005) was such a success, I would really love to gather your joyful memories for this season!
So, start taking notes for this year; there will be a special article at the end of the season for all the new 2006 memories!
For a limited time, join the Camping World President's Club for only $12 (Regular rate $20)
I found this special web page link on the back of the Camping World 40th Anniversary flyer and even though the web coupon states it expired in April, 2006, the special is available until July 5th.
Some benefits to membership:
We have been a member for a few years, and are very happy with Camping World, and now that there is a new store in Chichester, NH, we now have a choice to order online or visit the store.
Don’t forget to check out this week’s Internet Only Specials at CampingWorld.com
We were having a conversation with one of Mike’s coworkers (who was camping at Danforth Bay as well) and we recommended a high quality patio rug for his pop-up trailer.
We purchased ours at the Camping Show in Boston a few years ago, but Camping World has a similar product.
Check out the Blue Patio Rug; they also are available in other colors like sage, burgundy and black.
These rugs are fantastic and last many many years!
We returned from our vacation to Danforth Bay. The weather turned out to be quite nice, and we really had a wonderful time. We rented both a kayak and a paddleboat (new at Danforth Bay this season) and we also biked and walked.
We had the opportunity to hang out with a few That’s Camping regular visitors, Whistling Dixie (and family), and Bob, Patty, and family. It was terrific and I miss Danforth Bay already!
Bob and Patty gave us a tour of their new seasonal campsite, and Patty did a fantastic job with the landscaping! Pink flamingos included!!
We really had an excellent time, and we can’t wait to go back in July.
Do you have an RV or a few camping items you would like to sell? A new board on our discussion forum was created for our visitors to list their RVs and camping items for sale.
Please read the rules first, then post your item(s) in a new topic message.
Now is a great time to get your items ready for sale. The visitor count at That’s Camping usually peaks in July, so your post could be read by thousands of area campers!
Good luck!
One of Mike’s co-workers is vacationing at Danforth Bay in June and we promised photos of his campsite.
He and his brother-in-law have reserved the sites D7 and D8. Great sites, especially if you know your neighbor. Both are large sites, but #D7 is the better of the two, since the little stream flows beside it.
Here are the photos:
First, D8:
Here is a wide shot of D7 (left) and D8 (right)
Here is D7, by the stream.
Here is another view of both sites.
Mike and I took lots of photos this weekend. I uploaded some photos if anyone is interested in viewing them.
Mindy met two friends in particular named Reggie and Bessie!
We returned from a great weekend at Danforth Bay. Initially, I was sure the rain would put a damper on our fun, but the weather was fine. It rained on Saturday, but only after our Pet's activities were over.
We stayed on D16, across from the pavilion. I really like the sites in that area, especially in the off season, since it is easy to walk to the lake and to the depot area. The stream that runs through the park is actually raging from all the rain, and it was quite lovely to hear the rushing water sound from our site.
So, the main attraction of the weekend was the Pets Weekend "Best in Show" - starting at 1pm at the Depot Field. There was a representative from the Conway Humane Society - if you are looking for a new pet, please consider adopting from their location. They are highly recommended by the Danforth Bay staff. In fact, Dina adopted a wonderful Yorkie recently, and warned me to be careful if we visit, because I might be tempted to take one home as well!
To start the Pets event, we all took turns stepping into the gated area, and introducing ourselves and our dogs. As usual, Dina does such a great job emceeing the event, and the Danforth staff is excellent. There seemed to be a lot more dogs this year than last, despite the threat of rain!
The first event was the Tail Wagging contest, and there were three divisions, and the winners in each division went onward to the finals. Mindy and I participated in the smaller dogs division, and somehow, I don't know how, but we advanced to the finals! Same as last year, we were up against the wagging wonderdog of The Flintstones family! I am looking forward to a rematch next year!
Next was Musical Chairs, and there were two divisions. One for the larger dogs and then for the smaller dogs. I coerced our niece to participating with Mindy and me, and we nudged our way to Top Three victory. We won a ribbon and a cup of Frosty Paws frozen treat.
Next was a demonstration from Dayna, a local Agility trainer, Check out her Spellbound Bernese web site! She demonstrated each obstacle and then a group of three dogs were allowed back in the fenced area to practice and learn the obstacles. Mike and our niece took Mindy into the area, and we were lucky to have Dayna train her on the Dogwalk, Tunnel, and Hurdle jumps. She did very well for a beginner! We would love to join the agility classes at All Dogs Gym in Manchester, NH in the fall, so this was a great introduction.
We left the event happy and satisfied!
We ended our busy Saturday with a drive to the Pizza Barn for our favorite pizzas. We walked a lot this weekend, and Mindy was worn out by that night!
The new changes to the park are coming along nicely. We didn't have time to tour the Bluffs this weekend, but we did take a peek at the new pool area. It is HUGE! There is still a lot of work to be done, but it looks awesome so far! Mike is thrilled with the added water jets! I am not much of a pool user, but even I think it looks promising. Kids are going to love it!
The old exit road way by the cabins has been completely removed, and the new exit/entrance road way has been constructed and tarred, along with a partial tarring of the main campground (public) road. This is going to be great, we hated the bumps and dust from the old dirt road. The new landscaping is going to look quite appealing.
The tennis courts look great, and the snack bar will be opening soon. It will be located by the pools area, which is the perfect location.
Check out our photos from the weekend and from last year's 2005 Pets Weekend.
At the end of the 2005 season, we announced our first contest, with many generous prizes donations. The entry requirement was to send a favorite camping memory from the season. We received so many touching and warm stories, it was thrilling to read them all!
We realized how blessed we are to have so many kind, considerate and friendly visitors to our web site. Camping is such a wonderful way to make new memories with family and friends, and we are so proud that you all shared your precious memories with us. Thank you!
As promised, here are the Camping Memories we received! I hope you enjoy reading them, as much as we enjoyed receiving them! Note: Winners are listed first, and all others are listed in order of receipt.
Well, my favorite camping experience was really camping. You see this year we went camping for the first time in a pop-up tent. We haven't been camping for a while and when we did, we always camped locally in a tent for about two days at the most.
We went to Danforths Bay in late July for a whole week. We were a Family of 4 plus our golden retriever, Kacy (this was her 1st experience camping). I have never been to New Hampshire before so the experience plus being at such a nice campground was also worth it as well.
The whole week was so beautiful. We rented boats, canoes, went swimming, and of course Kacy went swimming too in her own designated area. But by far the best part of our summer vacation was being together. You see, we all live such crazy lives and for some reason when we were camping time just seemed to "slow down". We relaxed by the fire and roasted marshmallows and we were a family, and we actually talked and laughed!!.
Since my children are 12 and 13 yrs old, they are so involved with their friends, sports and of course the big "socializing thing". It's sometimes hard to connect with your kids and have fun again. My husband works in New York City and has a crazy commute of 2 1/2 hrs each way everyday to work so quality time isn't always there. Speaking about relaxing we could have taken a cruise or some fancy tropical island but nothing beats listening to the crickets chirp at night when you are sleeping and feeling the coolness of the mountain air on your face at night.
We are booked again for the same week next year at Danforth Bay, there was never a hesitation when we re-booked. The nice thing about it is the memories are still so fresh in our minds.
My favorite camping memory this summer was the first night I camped with just myself and my two boys, ages 4 and 6 (spouse had to meet with customers that week). I was on crutches and the boys and I had just finished doing dinner dishes and hanging beach towels to dry. We got the fire going at dusk and settled in on chairs around the fire. As the fire dwindled down, I needed more wood from under the camper bunk. My oldest jumped up and insisted that he would do it for me. "I don't want you to get up with your hurted leg, Mommy." Then he took the battery lantern over to the camper, turned it on and proceeded to carry 4-5 more logs over beside the fire so that I could stoke the campfire. But that wasn't the best part. The best part came when he was finished, and both boys climbed up into my lap for a pre-bedtime campfire snuggle. All that love and the feeling that you've actually taught them something!
This summer we did a Turf and Surf camping trip. The only thing that was consistent was the rain. Our 12 year old was less than happy about two weeks of dripping skies and little chance to swim. So on the second lag of our trip “the surf” we went to Acadia National park Maine. We came up with a great way to bring our 12 year old back into the fun of adventure… she had two stuffed animals and we set them up in different locations around the park and took pictures of them climbing, hiking, watching Thunder Hole explode as well as other adventures. One day we hope to put together a story about the adventure of two friends. It is already one of those memories that will be with us for a life time.
My favorite camping memory this year came when my boyfriend "popped the question" on our September camping trip to ME. We were camping at Little Ponderosa in Booth Bay and had gone to Pemaquid Point to watch the wonderful sunset....and just like in the movies, as the sun was sinking into the ocean, my man got down on one knee and asked me to be his bride...our little 16ft Sunline has now been rightfully nicknamed "the love shack". Looking forward to many more great camping memories in the upcoming years! Thanks "That's Camping"!
One of my favorite memories this past camping season is from a long weekend at Danforth Bay. Our family brought our daughter's friend with us. Our daughter is 13 as is her friend. We have found this age to be a great challenge for us as parents. One minute she likes us and will speak to us, the next minute - well you get the idea. The teens had a great time this weekend - everyone got along great - did many many things together. One evening we were sitting by the fire roasting marshmallows, chatting and laughing - our daughter and son (age 16) being exceptionally nice to each other - and our daughter's friend said out loud - this is so nice and fun! I wish my family would get together and do things like this! I realized that making the decision to buy our trailer and return to camping after 10+ years was one of the best decisions we made. Camping really gets your family to spend some quality time together and we were glad to share that with our daughter's friend.
Where to start. All camping trips come with fond memories. Our most memorable trip this year was our last camping weekend at Pine Acres in Oakham MA. It was one of their Halloween weekends and we really had a great time. We have had a 20' Banta Trail Lite for the past 2 seasons and we have been to a lot of campgrounds. This place stood out as a Top 5 campground for us and we'll be back. Our Campsite was right on the lake and another family that joined us rented a trailer right near us on the lake as well. Their 3 kids and our 3 kids had a blast. The brand new swimming pool, hot tub, water park was incredible and we were fortunate to get great weather for the last weekend in September. The Trick/Treating was great. Everyone was into it and there were great activities for the kids.
Rain and mud,
Slippery and yukky,
But we still had fun
For as campers we're plucky.
To upstate New York
To see the big ships
Traverse through the lock,
Was our memorable trip.
At Rob Moses State Park
For a few days in June
Yes, we watched several ships,
But saw neither sun nor a moon.
We had a nice tour
Of the nature museum.
The new hydro display
Is another must see-um.
Pack your duds and head north
To Massina you'll go.
Eisenhower Lock
Puts on quite a show.
We love going out exploring with our camper. We have only been camping for 2 years now - so we have a lot of exploring to do. A highlight of our summer this year was spending the week at Loudin camping at the New Hampshire International Speedway during a NASCAR weekend! They allow you to come in the weekend before the race. For just 100.00 (and additional racing tickets) you can spend the week close to all the action and commune with other race and camping fans. It was a blast! (Even if it did rain!)
This past August my family and I traveled to Lily Bay State Park on Moosehead Lake in Maine. The funniest and most memorable thing about the trip was our visit from raccoons our second night there.
This was my first trip to Maine and I was unaware of the potential for night time visitors. At Hopeville Pond State Park in CT we never see any animals other than squirrels and chipmunks. Anyway..we had a bag of trash right outside of our popup like always. Around 3 am I heard scratching and clawing and I remember thinking. Oh darn the squirrels are in the trash! Then the scratching and clawing changed to grunting and growling. Then I thought coyotes? After all, I heard them howling hours before.
As I lay there next to my husband, who was out cold by the way, I listened closer as the grunting got louder and then right beneath our bed end, a fight of some sort broke out. I couldn't believe my husband was sleeping through this. The kids woke up and asked "What was that?!" I shook my husband who was annoyed. "What?!" Then he heard the growling. He got up and peeked out. "Those are the biggest raccoons I've ever seen!" So of course the kids jump out of bed and ran to the window. "Where?"
Mike flung the door to the popup open and shined the light from the flashlight at them. This didn't really faze them. They looked at him as he shouted and they sauntered off casually. Mike moved what was left of the trash bag over to the fire pit. "I'm sure they'll be back for the rest of this we'll have to clean it all up in the morning. Well they did come back but this time they weren't as loud. I fell back to sleep.
In the morning the trash was strewn all about. We cleaned up and I asked the park ranger about our visitors. "Sorry I forgot to tell you about that when you checked in. Make sure you bring your trash up to the dumpsters at night before you retire." I remember thinking - NOW you tell me! To this day the kids talk about that night and how cool those huge raccoons were. Me I always make sure the trash is bagged and in the dumpster before bed!
Let me start off by saying I've seen raccoons on TVland in zoos but when I saw these raccoons I thought to myself...they are so big! They had to be the size of dogs! They didn't seem to scare easily either.
My favorite camping memory of this camping season is not one specific event, it is the week my family spent at Danforth Bay. This was our first visit to Danforth. We started camping in 2004 after purchasing a 26ft outback travel trailer. We have three children, ages 3, 6 and 9. My husband and I both work full time on opposite shifts, so during the year, we barely see each other. We hoped camping would be a relaxing time to just spend with each other. We have visited many wonderful campgrounds--Acadia, Lake George, Baileys and Lost River--and traveled with other families. Although all these places were wonderful, the trips, for different reasons, didn't provide the relaxation of the great outdoors we had hoped for. My husband actually developed Lyme's disease after our visit to Acadia!
Our last camping trip of this season was to Danforth bay, and it was awesome! We had a wonderful wooded site, right next to the ball field. We really didn't do much-except spent time at the pool, bike riding, walking, and taking part in the activities. We spent time around the campfire just talking with our kids. It was exactly what I thought camping would be! We actually booked a site for 2006 while we were still there! That week was my most favorite memory of the 2005 camping season.
I guess my favorite camping memory from the 2005 season would have to be the week my daughter and I spent at Acadia NP. We decided to "rough it" and stay at Blackwoods Campground in the park. (Roughing it has a little different meaning when you have 160Watts of solar panels on your roof.) We ended up moving to Seawall CG for better sun exposure, they call it "Blackwoods" for a good reason.
My daughter turned 12 years old in September and I usually take at least one week per summer for just her and I to go camping. This way she will always have those memories of camping with dad when she grows up. We like to go hiking, biking and general sightseeing together. We are both social people and enjoy meeting other campers and discussing their camping experiences and sharing ours. We have met many nice people in our -travels. We enjoyed a nice boat trip together on Diver Ed's Dive-In Theater, he dives in the water with scuba gear and has a camera with live coverage of what he is seeing while he is underwater. He brings creatures from the sea back to the boat for a little show and tell session, it was great.
The evenings sitting around the campfire are priceless and get more so, as I realize I am only a few years away from losing her to adulthood and her own life and independence, which makes it all the more special when just her and I go camping. I can spend quality time with her when we camp, there are no phones to answer and we have very few interruptions. It was great when we found a little known swimming hole in Acadia NP and were able to spend the afternoon there where the water is warm and there is no crowd. Camping gives us all special times to spend with special people and build memories that will last a lifetime.
Other memories of past camping experiences: In the years past, she and I have tent camped from Maine all the way out to the Grand Canyon and everywhere in between. Even when I had a popup, we chose to take a tent and hit the road for 19 days and covered 8000 miles. I think our first trip was to Mammoth Caves in KY for a long weekend. Our interest in camping has allowed her to see Mammoth Caves in KY (twice), Royal Gorge Colorado, Meteor Crater Arizona, Grand Canyon, Hoover Dam, the Bonneville Salt Flats at 100mph in my truck, Grand Tetons, Yellowstone and of course the Mall Of America. Our family purchased a popup in 2001 because my wife wanted to camp with us but she is not too fond of sleeping on the ground. We took our popup to Niagara Falls, the Great Smoky Mountains in TN, Assateague NP, Amish country in PA, Busch Gardens in VA and Washington DC. Since we purchased the hybrid in December of 2003, we have taken it to Disney in Florida and many local trips.
Thanks for letting me share this, it is already bringing back fond memories and making me long for the next season.
It was a hot day, so my girlfriend and I started to put up our tent. We noticed that soon thereafter we had about 30 little ducks in our site while we were setting up. My guess was that they were hungry so I stopped what I was doing to dig out of the trunk a box of cheese-its. Needless to say, they fell in love with us for the rest of the camping trip. It's almost like they knew what time we were having breakfast, lunch and dinner. They showed up only at those times for the four days we were there. I stopped in the camp office on our last day and told the campground worker that I had a bunch of visitors everyday and asked how much I had to pay for them being there. He asked how old the visitors were and I told them they were all babies. He looked at me strange and I then told him it was a bunch of baby ducks. He welcomed me back to his campground again just for having such a great sense of humor. Thats the end of my wonderful camping trip.
Favorite memory this year: My wife Michelle last December found out she has a brain tumor. Operation failed to remove the tumor, she is now undergoing Chemo to treat the tumor.We need to get away. We went to PA this past summer for a vacation and stayed at a beautiful camp ground called Lake-in-woods resort. One night, the air was crisp and clean, My wife and 4 yr old daughter noticed a field filled fire flies. This was the first time my daughter ever saw a fire fly. There had to be thousands of them everywhere. Well my best memory was watching Michelle and Emily running around for over an hours trying to catch as many fire flies as possible. That moment made us forget about the illness and focused on enjoying every moment we have together as a family. This memory I will never forget as long as I live. We love camping and hope to do much more next year.
We are season campers at Able Mountain Campground in Braintree, Vermont. We have camped there with the same two couples for over sixteen years. We've seen a lot of changes over the years, the best ones coming in the last two years since the campground has been sold. We love it there.
I remember one evening in particular where our camping buddies (3 couples) along with several friends sat around the campfire until after 10:30 at night (way past our usual bedtime of 8 pm!). We had hosted a dinner party in one of the campers, seating 13 people for a sit down dinner of roast beef cooked on a spit over the wood fire, along with baked potatoes,veggies and rolls. Dessert was served outside by the fire - lemon cake and coffee! I can almost taste it now! The stories flew around the campfire, everyone laughed and joked and tried not to think about how cold it really was!! However, the warmth generated by the wood fire and the laughter and company of good friends made it seem warm. It was late September, the season was winding down, and we were not looking forward to closing up and staying home for six or seven months. It's remembering evenings like this one that make me miss camping all the more during the long winter months. I'm already counting down the days until we can set up our camper again for the camping season next summer.
I am happy to say our best camping trip this year was to Acres of Wildlife in Steep Falls Maine. Our family and 2 other families have made this an annual event for the fifth year. There is a total of 9 children ranging in age from 10-17, and they all find something to do at this campground. The activities director and all of us have become friends. As have many others who continue to visit this campground on an annual basis. There is always an activity going on to keep everyone busy. We have done them all from Tye-Dye T-Shirts to Ice cream Eating contest, crafts, sporting games, beach games, food throwing, candy bar bingo, adult bingo but the best time is always had in the Mud bog.
Each year we meet someone new and since we now have been going the same week for the last 2 years we get to see familiar faces each year as well. It is nice to sit by the fire at night with new friends to share drinks and smores. The kids love to tell jokes, talk about their lives or tell ghost stories. We are glad we found this campground, the Owners are fantastic people who come right to your aid if something arises. Especially this year, the site we always booked had a sink hole develop during a torrential downpour. They had just installed new piping for the new Laundry room and it ran right thru the front of our site. We got the truck moved just in time before it would have been sucked right in. We contacted the owners and they came right down with a bucket of dirt to fill temporarily until morning and make the permanent repairs. It is something we will definitely never forget.
We camped on a beautiful river outside of Baltimore this past spring, so that the family could attend my daughter's graduation from U Maryland Law. On the morning of the festivities it was raining. It had rained so much that the river had overflowed its banks onto our campsite. We were so concerned about the water that my husband called the campground several times to check on our rig. They thought us amusing, since we didn't realize we were on a tidal river, and there was no problem.
My favorite memory while camping this season was at Riverdale Farm in Clinton, Connecticut. We took our two grandchildren ages 5 & 8 with us. The 5 year old had just gotten her first two-wheeler bike and insisted on trying it out. She flew down the road before I could run after her and I finally caught up with her at the camp store where she announced to one and all "I am all grown up now and can go anywhere I want to". That seems to be one of her defining moments that allowed her to glimpse a new world of special things that adults do for themselves. She entered Kindergarten in Sept. and has become the class leader. Where else but in a safe environment like a well-managed campsite could she have experiences like that?
NOTE: Some of the names have been changed to protect identity.
One of the things that became very obvious to us this year while camping at Danforth Bay Camping Resort is that many people tend to camp in groups whether its with family or friends (or sometimes both). We were even touched when That’s Camping invited us over for a “camping movie” on Mike’s projection screen TV at their mom’s site. They invited our family over along with their extended family and friends. That was a very memorable moment.
We have always encouraged our kids to go out and meet new friends. Half of the time the kids would find a “perfect friend” on our last day at the campground. Sometimes we would even exchange phone numbers or email address only for those napkins that we wrote the information down on to get quickly lost.
A similar thing happened this year. It all began one very hot day in June when the kids were finally out of school and we decided we were looking forward to our “long weekend”. We decided at the last moment to invite our nieces and nephew to go camping with us. All total we would have 7 children with us (4 of ours and 3 of them). What made it so grand was that with exception of the baby, each kid had their own playmate. The teens Niki and Mildred hung out at Cove beach or down at the Depot. Samuel and Austin had fun riding bikes around Lovell Loop. We had a great site as well! L8 fit our camper and a tent easily while giving plenty of room for Lianna and Jennifer to ride the powerwheels and bikes that we had for them.
Since it was so HOT … visiting the Danforth Bay pool was a must. During this time, Samuel and Austin made friends with a little boy named Jake who just happened to being staying a couple of sites down at L3. Later on the same evening when Danforth Bay lost power because of the excess AC usage, the kids ventured out and met up with Jake and his little brother Aaron. They asked if they could play with Jake and Aaron at their site and we agreed. During this time somehow Samuel found out that Jake and Aaron’s last name (“Tortle”) was the same as Samuel’s Dad’s middle name (which is an old family surname). This last name also as our baby’s Cameron’s middle name. Patty and I thought this was cool but didn’t really think much about it nor did we have time to talk to the parents since we were entertaining guests.
During the Fourth of July weekend, Austin bumped into Jake briefly at the pool. However they didn’t get much time to talk. A couple of weeks later we pulled into our week vacation spot and one of our favorite sites L1 (what’s not to love Internet, Extra large private site, with only 1 neighbor really). A while later on Austin realized that Jake was camping next door to us. The next day Jake’s mother Bev came over to say hello and to ask more about the relation stating that her husband Scott called his mother and found out that they were probably related to Samuel. Later on at the pool Patty got talking with Scott and found out that they were indeed related. The kids played that weekend and the Tortle family left the next day after saying goodbye. Our kids made a huge connection and were very sad to see them go. We met up with the Tortle family briefly in August when they were up to Danforth Bay on a day pass. Patty also got Scott’s uncle e-mail address and he sent Patty many pictures that her dad (he passed away in 2003) had sent the Tortle family. Many of which Patty has never seen.
In October, we met up the Tortle family twice. Once was during Columbus Day weekend. They invited us over to their camping cabin at Danforth Bay where we all carved out pumpkins. It was a lot of fun and the cabins were nice and warm and cozy when it wasn’t as nice outside. Scott and Bev baked pumpkin seeds in the toaster oven and the homemade salsa with fresh garden tomatoes and garlic really hit the spot with some low fat tortilla chips. The next weekend we went up for Danforth’s Bays RV show where it basically POURED the entire weekend (no kidding!!! – Remember all the floods on the news). The kids had fun however carving pumpkins again and playing with their new found cousins Jake and Aaron. Scott and Bev watched our kids (minus cranky Cameron) while Patty and I looked at campers. Then we returned the favor and let them look. That was it for the camping season for Patty and I as well as Scott and Bev however the friendship continues to blossom!
We invited Jake and Aaron to Austin’s Halloween party in October and then later to his cosmic bowling birthday party in November. Since then we have been in constant contact with the Tortle family since we are both independently researching new RV campers. We basically want the same setup and both dream of becoming seasonal campers with sites next to each other so the kids can pitch a tent. Between the both families we must have put hundreds and hundred of miles on our cars visiting RV dealers in three states.
The Tortles are some of the nicest people that share our values, especially when it comes to bringing up their children. They even like the same camper that we like. I’m sure our relationship with the Tortles will continue over the winter and then into the next camping season. Patty and I have felt so blessed to meet nice folks like the Tortles, Debbie & Mike (and Mindy), Seasonal Dave and family, and several others. Overall we have felt camping at Danforth Bay is like camping with one big family!
It has been very quiet on our end here at That’s Camping. I guess we got “camped out” after this season, and needed a little break. Plus our little dog is going through an ongoing medical problem, and I have been working on other non-camping projects.
Slowly but surely, we will be coming back with more articles and information. Thanks for your patience!
Congratulations to all of our contest winners! And a big thank you to all of you who sent in entries. Each story we received was just wonderful and heart-felt! We can’t thank you enough for taking the time to send in such lovely memories!
Okay, (drum roll please)
Here is the list of official winners of our End of Season Contest:
* Danforth Bay 2 nights of camping was won by none other than Dis2Cruise! Congratulations!
* The Papoose Pond Weekend Escape for Two was won by (yay!) Campermom! Congratulations!
* The Flush King was won by Mary G - Congratulations Mary and thanks for such a cute memory!
* The first DeLorme Atlas book set winner is Kerry! Kerry is newly engaged! Congratulations!
* The second DeLorme Altlas book set was won by MonIvy! Congratulations MonIvy!
* And last but not least, Thomas has won the wonderful Waterfalls book from Countryman Press. Congratulations!
After the holidays and when things start to settle down, I will create a special page with all of our received memories. It will be a nice diversion from the winter cold, don’t you think?
Thanks again to all our prize donors and also to all our visitors!
I am sorry for the delay in posting more information concerning the contest winners! I didn’t want to officially announce anything until all winners were contacted!
Later today, I will announce the winners, and hopefully soon I can post all the wonderful charming stories we received.
Thanks for your patience!
Bob (New England Camper) graciously allowed us to post his review of the restaurant Banner’s in North Conway. And here it is!
Banner’s is located in Conway, NH on Rt 16 just south of the bustling N. Conway, NH and White Mountains area. This a a small to medium size local restaurant serving breakfast and lunch during the off-season. I believe they serve dinner during busier times of the year. Our family of 5 arrived for breakfast at 9AM on Sunday and was quickly seated. NOTE: They serve breakfast until 2PM (and possibly longer in the off season).
The atmosphere and decor of this restaurant is very modern but yet charming with a country feel to it. The seating was very spacious and provided plenty of room to stretch out. The flooring and table tops matched with modern pattern (reds, green, and blue). On some of walls by the windows they had painted shutters and have old-style lanterns above each table. At our table there was even an egg timer attached to the wall (within a picture board) which the kids could turn and watch the sand flow through. They even had a puzzle page with crayons to keep the kids busy.
For food, our family ordered the Texas Style French toast ($6) which came with large pieces of Texas style french toast and bacon (or sausage). For $2 more you can add on real maple syrup. We also had the New England Breakfast ($5) which included 2 eggs (any style), home fries, bacon (or sausage), and toast (your choice of flavor). The portions were of a good size and the home fries were very good. The kids meals were about $4 and provided a good hearty breakfast for them as well. The coffee is New England brand name which isn’t my favorite but tasted just fine here!
The service was superb with the manager (or manager-like person) filling coffee every so often. Even though this place was really busy we didn’t have to wait long for our food to come out. They were on top of things here.
Even after a little bit of light shopping and a 2 1/2 hour drive home we were still not hungry.
Overall Banner’s a great place to go out for a nice breakfast with a charming atmosphere.
I decided that I needed an extremely easy way to post my photos online, and the photo gallery included in the software we use for this site was too much of a hassle. I needed something that wouldn’t take up too much time, or I knew I wouldn’t utilize it regularly.
I decided to take a closer look at flickr.com (owned by Yahoo.) Setting up an account was fairly quick and simple. Customizing and organizing your profile and account might take a few minutes. If you choose to open an account, be sure to look at your account page, especially the privacy settings and profile page.
They offer a free account with 20mb of upload bandwidth each month and every new month, that means you get another 20mb of photo upload each month, with no limit on total file space. If you keep your photos smaller, this is a pretty good amount of file space. For an annual fee of $25, you can sign up for the pro account, which includes 2gb of upload bandwidth per month. Not a bad price to pay if you want to share lots of larger images. Take a peek at their FAQ page for additional details about the service.
For now, I have opted for the free account: http://www.flickr.com/photos/thatscamping/
I found a fantastic plug-in for my iPhoto software (on my Mac) that allows me to resize, tag, comment, photoset, and upload images directly to my flickr account.
Flickr also offers other upload tools for both Mac and Windows users. I love the ability to upload and organize right from my computer.
So far, I like it a lot; I have heard many good comments about the service, and I briefly dabbled with an account previously. Hopefully this will enable me to share our camping photos on a more regularly.
Thanks to our many supportive visitors, That's Camping experienced another great season! We received hundreds of new campground reviews this year and our new discussion forum was a great place to discuss all things camping, and a few Off Topic topics as well.
Since you were so good to us this year, we wanted to give something back to our loyal visitors and contributors!
Danforth Bay has donated a certificate for Two Nights of Camping!!! Make your reservations early for 2006 and don't forget to inquire about their new 55+ seasonal RV park called the Bluffs!
Papoose Pond Resort & Campground has donated A Weekend Escape for Two - Prize includes 2 nights camping, all activities, and 5 meals (for each adult - Fri dinner, Sat breakfast, lunch, dinner, and Sunday brunch). Choose one of their four different Escape Weekends (06/09 to 06/11, 06/16 to 06/18, 09/22 to 09/24 or 9/29 to 10/01) - If a cabin is desired, recipient can upgrade. Make your reservations early for 2006! Great news: Papoose Pond has just added a new 30x60 pool.
FlushKing.com has donated their Reverse RV Flush Valve. The Flush King is a welcome addition to anyone with an RV holding tank. We purchased one this year, and are extremely pleased with its performance, as are so many other users.
DeLorme has generously donated several atlas books for the contest. One winner will get a full set of Northeast states: Maine, New Hampshire, New York, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Connecticut/Rhode Island, and New Jersey. A second winner will win a smaller group of atlases from Maine, New Hampshire, New York, Vermont, and Connecticut/Rhode Island. These atlas books have been with us on every trip to Maine and New Hampshire! We have found so many interesting back roads by checking the map page(s) for each area we visit. It enhances our site seeing experience immensely. Campgrounds, hiking trails, boat access, waterfalls, museums, lighthouses, skiing, and airports are just a few of the detailed listings you will find in each atlas. We highly recommend picking up the atlases for the states you frequent the most, and if you are ever in Yarmouth Maine, stop by the corporate store and browse all their products.
The Countryman Press has donated a copy of one of our favorite books New England Waterfalls - A guide to more than 200 Cascades and Waterfalls by Greg Parsons and Kate B Watson. Read our detailed review of this book.
We are so grateful to all our donors for their generous prize donations! Thank you sooo very much to all!
Send a short paragraph or two describing a favorite camping memory this year. Whether it was a special weekend sitting by the fire, a visit to Storyland, or visiting the White Mountains, we want to hear your stories!
Only one entry per family please (and I will be checking for duplicates, so be fair) and you must be over 18 and in the continental USA to enter. Any incomplete entries will not be included in the contest drawing.
All contest entries must be received no later than Wednesday, November 30, 2005.
Your personal information will not be sold or shared with anyone, unless you win a prize; If you win one of the prizes, (and depending on which prize you win) your name and address could be sent to the prize's donor, so they can mail it directly to you.
All entries become the property of That's Camping, and stories might be displayed on our web site with a first name or nickname. By no means will any detailed private information (such as last name, email, or mailing address) be displayed or saved on our web site or on any of our site databases. We will not use your personal information to contact you other than to inform you of a prize.
Good luck everyone!
If you haven’t visited the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory in North Conway, NH (there are other locations as well), then you are missing a slice of sweet heaven!
During our last visit to Danforth Bay, we went shopping to North Conway (on Thursday) and found this wonderful shop. It is located in the LL Bean shopping plaza.
Mike and I split a gorgeous caramel apple rolled in krispies, and swirled in both white and milk chocolate. If you are going to eat the apple right away, I suggest allowing them to slice it for you. It makes it so much easier to eat….and it was a yummy snack!
I don’t know if they offer the caramel apples all year long; it might just be an autumn seasonal treat. But they offered a whole assortment of different toppings, along with plain caramel. Just delicious.
We also purchased 2 cookies. Mike chose this peanut butter masterpiece - a thick peanut butter cookie slathered with peanut butter, then covered in milk chocolate, with a topping of small Reece’s peanut butter cups. He said it was probably the best cookie he ever had. I had a bite, and yes, it was quite tasty.
I chose a wonderful chocolate caramel chip cookie. Not much to say about it, except that it was fabulous.
Next time you are in the North Conway, NH area, take a break from shopping and have a snack at the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory.
We arrived here at Danforth Bay last night at around 5:30. Very quiet, with only a few scattered campers. I am sitting here on wifi at the Great East bathhouse. Mike is back at the trailer putting up a few Halloween decorations. I love this weekend at Danforth. I love to check out the awesome Halloween decorations on the campsites, and the Trick or Treaters are so cute. I have a feeling it will be cold this weekend, so bundle up guys!
Early this afternoon, we had a great conversation with Tim (the Bluffs general manager) about the future plans for Danforth and the new 55+ seasonal park called the Bluffs. He told us that many of the new sites in the Bluffs area already had utilities; it will be open on Saturday for anyone to check out. Be careful driving, you will need high clearance and possibly 4x4, since it might be muddy up there from the rain this weekend. A walking tour might be a better idea.
Big plans are in store for the roads too. The main road coming into the campground will be paved and widened slightly. The exit road (by the cabins) will be removed, to make room for the new pool. The road next to the office will become a two way road. There will be a separate parking area for trailers during “check in” so it will not hinder travel in and out of the park for those already there. Across the way there will be tiered parking which will also have a section for trailer storage, and day parking for those that want to stay past check out to utilize the ammenities.
A new pool will be built - it sounds really neat with a slide and lap area, I think he also mentioned a little area in the pool where you can sit down. New tennis courts and volleyball courts too.
Hmm, what else? Diane is doing a great job as Danforth Bay general manager! And Dawn is her same wonderful sweet self! What more can you ask for in a campground!? Keep up the good work guys!
Eric wrote to us last week informing us that Blueberry Shores Campground has been sold, and unfortunately isn’t a campground anymore. It is going to be develped for housing (I assume)
This is bad news. The campground was terrible, but the location was awesome. Oh well, time to remove those old reviews.
Located on Rt 16, in Ossipee, NH (about 15 minutes south of Danforth Bay Camping Resort.) Telephone: 603-539-5379.
Kranky Franky’s Restaurant - casual dining with pizza, calzones, sandwiches, daily specials, and ice cream.
This is our favorite casual restaurant by far! Besides the best grilled pastrami wraps around, and the ice cream is probably the best in the area. Fantastic! I don’t think you will find larger ice cream scoops anywhere else! A two scoop cup looks like a four scoop!
Menu also includes: daily specials, pizza, calzones, burgers, salads, grilled steak sub, Turkey gobble sandwich, seasonal soups, chicken fillet sandwich, veggie burgers, potato & pasta salads, fries, onion rings, and so much more. There is also a small selection of desserts.
When we stay at Danforth Bay, we drive 15 minutes to get dessert and ice cream there. It is soo worth it. We also like to stop there for dinner/take-out on the way up to Danforth.
UPDATED: 2008-08-31
We ended up at Kranky Franky’s this weekend. Mike was very disappointed in his dinner. We ordered take-out and brought it back to the RV (about 20 minutes away) - I ordered a grilled pastrami & mushrooms wrap, and it was delicious. Mike ordered one of the dinner “specials” - I wish I recalled the exact name. I think it was a Texas Burger or something like that.
Anyway, the bread was rubbery & tough, like it was pre-made ahead of time, and then microwaved. I was pretty surprised it was so bad.
Jake’s Seafood is located on Rt 16 in Ossipee,
NH (603) 539-2805
They offer seafood, along with steak, chicken, ribs, pasta, salads, and sandwiches. Seafood is offered baked, broiled or fried. Good variety of side orders, including a one trip salad bar.
Prices are very good, portions are good, and food is delicious.
Mike ordered the fried scallops plate with one side dish ($10) and a side of homemade onion rings ($4). There is also a choice for a larger portion and two sides platter ($17.)
I ordered the seafood casserole with two sides ($15) - it was excellent. Tons of scallops, shrimp, haddock, and lobster with a ritz cracker topping. The salad bar was really tasty, (very clean and fresh) but I wished that they offered more than one trip. For $4, you can order the salad bar as an individual side, but they need to make the bowls larger, or allow more than one trip.
We grade Jake’s Seafood restaurant “A” Excellent food with a good value.
This isn’t really a ‘restaurant’ per se, but we stop here for lunch frequently on our way home from the Lakes Region in New Hampshire.
The Citgo Gas station at the intersection of Rt 28 and Rt 11 in Alton - the official name is the Alton Circle Grocery. It is a favorite of a lot of truck drivers, so you know that it is a good place to stop for a quick bite.
Besides being a full convenience store, they offer hot and cold food selections like Fried chicken, burgers, hot dogs, salads, wrap sandwiches, pasta salads, subs, mac & cheese, American chop suey, and other hot dishes. There are also local bakery items like whoopie pies and donuts. There is also a small area with tables for eating in.
So next time you are returning home on Rt 28 from the Lakes, instead of McDonald’s, stop at the Citgo Alton Circle Grocery for a quick cheap lunch. Hint: Try the fried chicken pieces, they are too good for words!
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Please note: detailed campground information is listed only as a comparison and guide; to ensure accurate up to date information, please contact the campground directly. That's Camping is not affiliated with any campground. We reserve the right to edit or refuse any campground review.
