Road Trip Day 2: Ohiopyle State Park, PA, Friendship Hill NHS, PA, Hocking Hills State Park, OH

After breaking down camp we checked out the natural water slides in Ohiopyle but the water was really high so it would have been unsafe, also cold, to try them.  We've been on them before an they were super fun but can be crowded on a hot day.  We found the evening was less busy and they are just at the bottom of the hill before you go to the campground so quite convenient if you're camping.

Natural water slides in Ohiopyle State Park

Next up we drove to Friendship Hill NHS which was country home to Albert Gallatin who was Secretary of the Treasury with Jefferson and Madison.  He was involved in the Louisiana Purchase.  The park staff seems humored that Alexander Hamilton who held the same position previous to Gallatin has a musical (I think secretly they think Gallatin deserved one too, for all he accomplished) Anyway, his house is self guided and basically a complete reconstruction except for what had been the second kitchen.  The property itself is amazing.  It is on a bluff overlooking the Monongahela River.  There are several walking and hiking trails as well.  

Friendship Hill NHS

Our next plan was to try a couple state parks in Ohio for the nights camping accommodations.  However, we spent more time at Mr Gallatin's house then we meant to so we only had time to try one park, Hocking Hills State Park.  This park ended up being different than I was expecting.  It had some neat spots but was super touristy.  The campground was basically a bunch of rv sized driveways with little patches of grass jammed tightly together with no privacy between sights.  Also, a raccoon was hanging out on a picnic table in broad daylight next to a family of campers.  I mean maybe he was their pet?  All I could think of was rabies though... Anyway the park has some neat water and cave features that we spent time exploring and did enjoy.

Waterfall near Old Mans Cave

Cedar Falls

Ash Cave

As we couldn't find a great campground we decided to book it to Dayton, our next destination and stay in a hotel.  We decided to make it a race and get into town in time to eat at Spaghetti Warehouse before it closed at 10pm.  We made it!  I regret Spaghetti Warehouse though, Spaghetti Factory is far superior.  Warehouse had good deals going on and our waitress gave us some free stuff as well so it worked out.  It was no Spaghetti Factory.

Next up Dayton Aviation Heritage NHS, Wright Brothers Sites, National Museum of the US Airforce.

A hike through Beaver Brook in Hollis, NH

Today was a bit hot, muggy, and then rainy.  Mosquito season is in high.  Lets go for a hike in Beaver Brook!  With 35 miles of trails on managed conservation land Beaver Brook is a great place to spend an hour, an afternoon, or a whole day hiking and exploring.  It has wildlife ponds, stone walls,  hills, streams, boulders, meadows, and plenty of wildlife. 

 The blur in the middle of the photo is the mosquito that tried to bite me while stopped :\

 I've been going there for years. This Spring I finally explored some of the less popular trails. Wow, there are some unexpectedly neat trails there.  My current favorite is the Rocky Ridge trail. This short trail connects the Tupelo trail and the Old City trail near the wildlife pond at the North part of the trail map found on Beaver Brook's site.

The trail quickly goes to the top of a ridge above dramatic bouldery cliffs. 

 There were plenty of lady slippers along the way

 

 The boulders along this trail are ridiculous.  

There's even one point where I had to scoot down on my butt since the rock was so steep and wet that I didn't trust my shoes to stick.  It really is a fun trail, like being in the White Mountains.  It's less than a mile long.  So good though.

I'd rather go up this than slide down.

Another new favorite spot is the Shoen Farm Meadow.  I don't think its on the map other than as the meadow trail but it is so peaceful.  There are some remnants of an old barn (really just the stone foundation) and a few stone walls.

The Barn Foundation

Stone Walls

As for wildlife I saw 53 baby red spotted newts (they're orange) plenty of frogs, a couple turkeys, and the aforementioned mosquito brigades.  I spent maybe 3 hours and did 8.8 miles with lots of lingering and moseying about.  I didn't see another person until I was almost back to my car.  It is certainly worth a visit if you are in the area!

My track.

Road Trip Day 1- Hershey, PA and Kentuck Campground in Ohiopyle State Park

We spent the first week of May 2018 meandering our way towards Mammoth Cave National Park in Kentucky. We have a National Park Passport book that we have been collecting stamps in for several years. Steve and I got out of the house at about 4am with the car packed for adventure. We didn't really have a route just way points to get to as many National Park sites as possible and whatever else we may stumble upon. 

Camping is our thing so the first day our destination was a campground we've stayed at before called Kentuck Campground in Ohiopyle State Park Google maps said this would be roughly a 9.5 hour drive. Perfect! Well unfortunately living in New England, its pretty tough to avoid every major metropolitan area and not hit any morning rush hour by leaving New Hampshire at 4am.

 It was smooth sailing until just after Hartford, CT where we hit major standstill traffic. After an hour of that we were fine again and decided to head towards Hershey Park in Pennsylvania for a lunch break. We were a few weeks early to actually go into the park, since it wasn't open for the season except weekends yet, but the factory was open for sure. 

It took us till 1:30 to get there. Upon walking into the Visitor Center/Chocolate Megastore we were asked if we would like to help them test out a new tour for free. Super! We got to wear hairnets and Steve even got a beard net:

The tour was amazing. We got to design our own chocolate bars from what type of chocolate to the mix-ins and finally the wrapper. You actually watch your bar go through the assembly line and get to keep it at the end. We didn't since they were still testing everything that day and it wasn't FDA approved yet but I would do it again for sure. 

I was a little worried at this point about getting to our campsite and set up before dark. We did make it with about an hour of daylight left. Magically, going West the sun sets later!

We were in site 19 which was right next to a babbling brook. The place was basically empty and the walk-in sites where we've stayed before were not open for the season yet. Later we explored them anyway since we plan on coming back here. Sites 59 and 54 were super sloped but site 58 is just at the top of the hill so its mostly flat. 64 is by far the most private but has a loooong walk from your car. Here's what 58 looks like (at dusk):

When it got dark we heard some rustling in the brush. Checking it out, it was a couple of raccoons going from our brook into the campground. They were steering clear of us so we didn't mind them. Within half an hour we realized we were sleeping next to the raccoon super highway as small packs of them kept passing us. Still no big deal as all our food was in the car. Well come morning, Steve had left out a pot of water to heat up for hot chocolate, and I think a raccoon used it to wash his hands (paws?) or a toad or whatever raccoons wash that is super filthy cause now our pot was filled with dirty water. Our fault for leaving it out! 

Next up: Albert Gallatin's Friendship Hill NHS and Hocking Hills State Park

Wild blueberry season in NH is almost here! A hike up Gap Mountain in Troy NH

In the summer I try to go on a hike every week.  Some hikes are challenging, some easy.  What I look forward to the most is when blueberry season starts (who doesn't like free hiking snacks?).

Yesterday I did an exploratory hike of Gap Mountain in Troy, NH.  This 2.6 round trip hike is fee free, simple, and the blueberry reward is huge.  I think they will be peaking in about 2 weeks (mid July) There were very few ripe blueberries yesterday, only enough to put on my cereal this morning.   This mountain top is COVERED with high bush blueberries.

At the top, you can wander along winding trails between the bushes, picking as you go.  The bushes are 6-8 feet tall so you feel like you are alone even if other families are sharing the experience.  We even discovered some secluded stone armchairs on one side that had a great view of the valley.  Every year I pick a few pints of berries to freeze so I can make muffins and pancakes all winter.

Have fun!  Remember to bring sturdy covered containers for your pickings so your berries survive the trip back down in your backpack.

Madame Sherri's Forest

Madame Sherri's forest is a 488 acre forest preserve complete with her castle's ruins to explore.  We read about it in Marianne O'Connor's book "Haunted Hikes of New Hampshire" which is available from Barnes and Noble and other book retailers.

Madame Sherri was a very successful New York costume designer in the roaring 20s.  She spent her summer vacations in the southwest corner of New Hampshire and loved it's peacefulness.  She ended up buying a piece of farmland and building a 15 room "castle" in West Chesterfield, NH.  This castle was home to many wild parties when Madame Sherri would invite her friends up from NYC.  She abandoned the castle late in life to live in a nursing home.

The property has a small parking area at the corner of Gulf Rd and Egypt Rd in West Chesterfield, NH.  There is a kiosk with a trail map and other information in the parking lot.  After visiting the castle we hiked up to Indian pond which was beautiful and peaceful.  It would be a great place to have a  picnic!

View Madame Sherri's Castle in a larger map

Follansbee Inn

The Follansbee Inn is in quiet North Sutton, NH on Kezar Lake.  We had our family style wedding here last September where our families came from all over the country and world (My nieces from Japan are in the picture above).  We have been visiting this inn every summer for the past 3 or 4 years.  It is situated on a small bucolic lake. 

It is a rambling old house with 18 guest rooms spread over two floors (not including the ground floor which has the comfortable sitting areas and breakfast room) all with different decor, and many with a/c.  If you are an early riser you may hear the eerie calls of the loons on the lake.  The breakfasts made by the owners of the Inn, Cat and Denis Sword, are the best I've ever had.  Cat and Denis are from New Orleans so it is a very southern cuisine, think candied praline bacon, biscuits the size of your face and light as a cloud, and cheese grits. 

Our favorite part of this inn is that they provide kayaks, canoes, and a little sailboat to enjoy on the lake which has a tiny uninhabited island filled with blueberry bushes which provide an awesome snack late July to mid August.  They also have a small barn filled with road bikes and even a tandem bike to ride on the 3 mile lane around the lake. 

The nearest town, 5 miles away,  is New London, NH which is home to Colby Sawyer College.  This town has many excellent restaurants to try out.  Our favorite is Peter Christians, a cozy pub with table in curved brick nooks.  On a cool night the best seat is near the fireplace.

There is lots to explore in this part of New Hampshire,  so if your looking for a weekend away and you like a do-it-yourself summer camp style vacation check it out!