Spring in New England is, well, unpredictable—to say the least. So when G and I spied one of those summer-like weekends ahead in the forecast in early APRIL (yep, I’m a few weeks behind in posting), we jumped at the chance to take Tedda (our Winnebago Travato) out and camp at Pawtuckaway State Park in Nottingham, New Hampshire. G and I were a little bit ashamed that we had never visited Pawtuckaway after all these years living in New Hampshire and having this gem of a park so close. In fact, from everywhere we’ve ever lived in the state, Pawtuckaway SP has never been more than 25 miles away. And yet, we had never visited.
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Mid-November. For me, mid-November is one of New England’s “shoulder season” months. Long after the gorgeous foliage has peaked and before the beauty (and novelty) of the season’s first snowfalls is November. Cold weather. Gray skies. Short Days. Less sunlight. Nevertheless, committed to making every weekend count and to get as much use out of the Travato as possible, G and I opted for a return visit to Pillsbury State Park in Washington, NH, to take advantage of its last open weekend of the season.
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After spending the first weekend of our Travato ownership “camping” in the dealership parking lot and then, the next night, in my mom’s driveway, G and I decided we’d spend our second weekend actually camping. And with a few New Hampshire state parks still open, we snagged a reservation at Dry River Campground in Crawford Notch State Park in New Hampshire’s White Mountains. Given the choice between the ocean and the mountains, I’ll always choose the ocean. Luckily, in New Hampshire, I have the best of both worlds, living just short walk from the beach and a few hours from mountains. And whileI love the coast, I’m always awed by New Hampshire’s White Mountains and the snow-capped, 6,288-foot Mount Washington, the Northeast’s highest peak.
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Ever since G and I started dating back in 1995 (25 years ago—yikes!!), we’ve been big on games. Scrabble was always our go-to, and over the years, we’ve expanded our repertoire a bit. I’ve found that it’s hard finding games that are great for just two and sometimes even more challenging to find games that are super portable for camping. This post includes our favorites while camping—and a few “bonus” options as well!
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When it comes to camp cooking, I’m all about simple, fast, easy, and damn delicious (I’m trusting G with that verdict). I’m not trying to be an outdoor gourmand, nor do I get worked up about having meals that are healthy or “clean” when we’re camping. Nope, comfort food all the way. So, after close to 30 nights of camping this summer, I figured I’d offer a round-up of my favorite recipes to make while camping. Enjoy!
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Summer 2020: 27 camping nights; 12 campgrounds, including 11 state parks (5 in New Hampshire and 6 in Maine). During and after each camping trip, G and I would talk about what we loved (or didn’t love) about the site, the park, the area, etc. We’ve been trying to keep track of each park’s unique characteristics to help us not only share the info and our opinions but also start our planning for next year! We’ve created a “best of” based on this summer’s travels; keep in mind that these are entirely subjective, and others’ opinions and experiences may differ from ours. Now that the summer has come to end and the leaves are falling, it’s time for a wrap up.
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New Hampshire is known for a lot of things: its White Mountains, its lakes, its super-short coastline. Well, White Lake State Park in Tamworth provides two out of three, with a gorgeous lakefront setting and 3,490-foot Mount Chocorua as a gorgeous backdrop. Add the turning leaves of fall, and the park is a stunner.
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Phew, our 11th camping trip of the summer, our 25th and 26th nights spent camping in our 2002 VW Eurovan Weekender! After a few trips to state parks that have been busier and a little less private than we would like, our expectations for Lily Bay State Park in Beaver Cove, Maine, were admittedly low. And boy, were we pleasantly surprised!
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Our 10th weekend camping trip took us to Peaks-Kenny State Park in Dover-Foxcroft, Maine, about 200 miles from home (199, to be exact)—a trip that took us a little more than 3 hours. We had never traveled to this part of Maine, as we’ve tended to stick to the state’s giant coastline for the last 20+ years. Peaks-Kenny is beautiful, with its 839 acres in the Maine Highlands and lakefront setting on Lake Sebec. And, like Mt. Blue State Park, Peaks-Kenny makes for a great family campground. For two adult campers who crave solitude and quiet (even in non-pandemic times!)? Perhaps not as much.
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All good things come to an end; we had to have a less-than-awesome weekend camping after such a great stretch, right? Sure, not every weekend has been perfect in every way, but overall, each weekend has been a winner. This past one was a little bit of letdown; in fact, we ended up staying only one night. But let me first say this: if G and had kids, we would have loved Mt. Blue State Park in Weld, Maine. Mt. Blue is most definitely a family campground.
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Nights #19 and #20 of our summer of social distancing (i.e., van camping) had us at Pillsbury State Park in Washington, New Hampshire, considered “one of the more primitive and lesser known gems,” according to its page on the NH State Parks site. Pillsbury State Park is nestled in Washington, NH, about 48 minutes from Concord, our state capital, an hour from Manchester, New Hampshire’s largest city, and just about an hour and half from home for us. Yet, being there, you feel worlds away from the rest of southern/central New Hampshire.
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After our weekend camping at Cobscook Bay State Park in Maine, just minutes away from New Brunswick, Canada, G and I weren’t sure how any camping weekend would compare. Our most recent weekend had us returning to a town park in Freeport, Maine, where we had camped twice last year, Winslow Memorial Park and Campground. Last year, we were new to this van-camping thing, and we loved Winslow; this year, with a few more trips and some really scenic parks under our belt, we wondered if Winslow would still rank up there. And let me just say this: YES. An absolutely resounding yes.
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If you’ve seen the highway signs, then you know that Maine is “the way life should be” (no offense to the 603, but I tend to agree)—and Cobscook Bay State Park is certainly, in my mind, the way camping should be. I’m not sure how any campground—or campsite—will compare after this particular weekend.
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I’ll start off with this: I really, really, really wanted to fall in love with Bradbury Mountain State Park in Pownal, Maine, just minutes outside of Freeport. It’s close to home (just shy of 1.5 hours away), and my hopes were that we’d love it so much that it would become one of our go-to close-to-home parks. Unfortunately, such was not the case. And while I’ve had a few days to think about our one-night stay here at Bradbury, I still can’t quite put a finger on what I (we) didn’t love about the park.
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Our summer of camping weekends is shaping up nicely, with COVID-19 providing us the opportunity to stay local and explore places that we hadn’t been before. Moose Brook State Park in Gorham, New Hampshire, was one of those places. And guess what? This park might have catapulted itself to the top of our camping list!
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On a rare off-weekend from camping, G and I decided to explore a nearby trail about 20 miles from home, the Adams Point Loop Trail in Durham, New Hampshire, located within the Adams Point Wildlife Management Area. At 1.5 miles, the trail is short and sweet, with terrific views along the way and what might be two of the best benches I’ve spotted on trails so far; and if you’re a fan of water views, this trail has them aplenty!
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Over the July 4th weekend, G and returned to Gilson Pond Campground in Monadnock State Park. For being only about an hour and a half from home, the park feels much, much further away. And while folks might have been converging on the trails to hike Mount Monadnock, one of the most frequently hiked peaks in the WORLD, we opted for a quiet weekend with Gilson Pond as our centerpiece. And boy, did it deliver
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