Last Thursday we made the long drive to New Hampshire. After ninety minutes on the road Laurel started with I'm bored and "Are we there yet?". I started to wonder if this seven hour journey was really worth it. Around 4:30 we pulled into our site at
Moose Hillock Campground. I could tell right away that this was worth the drive. It took about two hours to set-up camp. It is so much easier to camp now that we have the
Fleetwood Pop-up. Soon Maya, Joe and C
orbett pulled up and we enjoyed a hot dog dinner and a campfire. The next day we all went hiking at
Moosilauke Ravine Lodge. On Saturday Carrie and Colin came to visit and we enjoyed the pool and natural river swimming area at the
campground. Sunday was a wonderful exploring day. First we stopped at Breezy Point along the Baker River. All four of us took a swim while
grammy took action shots with her camera.
Then we drove up to a nice hike called Artists Bluff at the North End of
Franconia Notch State Park. After that we enjoyed a well-deserved dinner with beer at the Woodstock Inn Station and Brewery. On Monday Grammy watched L&O while Justin and I took a hike. We each had strong opinions- Justin loved the impossible incline while I would have
preferred a less
strenuous "date." The weather for Tuesday did not look so great but rather than sit around waiting for the rain, we decided to go exploring again. We started out by driving on the
Kancamagus Highway. Once again we found some rivers to enjoy. This time it was at the Lower Falls.
(Owen is posing along this stretch of river but it did not take long for all four of us to be drawn into the refreshing, trout-filled water.) After a lengthy swim we headed to lunch at Lake
Winnipesaukee. Then we went to the world's biggest arcade,
Funspot. (In case you saw the documentary, King of Kong- this is where the arcade competitions are held.) With only one day left to go, time was getting short and I still wanted to see a moose so I told everyone I would be going on a moose watch early the next morning. Owen and Grammy eagerly joined in while Laurel and Justin took a chance to relax a little while on vacation :) I had read books and looked at maps and we followed a road that was supposed to be filled with wild life. After 90 minutes of alert watching, nothing. I pulled into a hiking area and tried to decide which trail we should hike on. Owen protested that he only had
crocs on and did not want to hike. I lectured that moose would not just be hanging out on the road waiting for him, that if we wanted to see a moose we need to get into the woods.
No sooner did I finish my speech, we all turn right and saw a mother with her calf standing right at the edge of the road! We were so lucky and so excited. Even though we still had to drive another two hours back, the moose sighting made it worth our early morning outing. We
finished up our day with a trip to a trout hatchery and
Lake Tarlton State Park. A week was way too short to take in all that the White Mountains have to offer. I sure do hope I will make it back there sometime soon!
Then we drove up to a nice hike called Artists Bluff at the North End of Franconia Notch State Park. After that we enjoyed a well-deserved dinner with beer at the Woodstock Inn Station and Brewery. On Monday Grammy watched L&O while Justin and I took a hike. We each had strong opinions- Justin loved the impossible incline while I would have preferred a less strenuous "date." The weather for Tuesday did not look so great but rather than sit around waiting for the rain, we decided to go exploring again. We started out by driving on the Kancamagus Highway. Once again we found some rivers to enjoy. This time it was at the Lower Falls. 
(Owen is posing along this stretch of river but it did not take long for all four of us to be drawn into the refreshing, trout-filled water.) After a lengthy swim we headed to lunch at Lake Winnipesaukee. Then we went to the world's biggest arcade, Funspot. (In case you saw the documentary, King of Kong- this is where the arcade competitions are held.) With only one day left to go, time was getting short and I still wanted to see a moose so I told everyone I would be going on a moose watch early the next morning. Owen and Grammy eagerly joined in while Laurel and Justin took a chance to relax a little while on vacation :) I had read books and looked at maps and we followed a road that was supposed to be filled with wild life. After 90 minutes of alert watching, nothing. I pulled into a hiking area and tried to decide which trail we should hike on. Owen protested that he only had crocs on and did not want to hike. I lectured that moose would not just be hanging out on the road waiting for him, that if we wanted to see a moose we need to get into the woods. 
No sooner did I finish my speech, we all turn right and saw a mother with her calf standing right at the edge of the road! We were so lucky and so excited. Even though we still had to drive another two hours back, the moose sighting made it worth our early morning outing. We finished up our day with a trip to a trout hatchery and Lake Tarlton State Park. A week was way too short to take in all that the White Mountains have to offer. I sure do hope I will make it back there sometime soon!