ken zirkel

WHEN we planned this trip originally, we thought we would bring the popup camper. But after Cape Cod, we decided that it might be too much of a strain on the Soob to pull the trailer through the mountains. It was hard enough on the vehicle for it to pull the popup for a short run on flat land, and New Hampshire seemed like too much for it to handle. So we reserved a little motel in Twin Mountain. It was a simple, unremarkable motel, yet clean and well-run. A good spot for our needs.

Day One (Friday): Arrival

Friday we left somewhat late, after spending most of the morning packing. We drove to Twin Mountain and had a dip in the pool. For dinner we had a really nice experience at Rosa Flamingos in Bethlehem. It’s a nice little privately owned restaurant with a nice outdoor dining area and live guitarist accompaniment.

Below: Daughter enjoys the pool at the motel.

Day Two (Saturday): Hike

Saturday was hot, with threats of thunderstorms later in the day. We weighed a couple of different hikes, and chose the hike to Zealand Falls, mostly because I wanted to check out the AMC Zealand Falls Hut. The 2.7-mile hike turned out to be a litle more strenuous than I expected or was prepared for. However, it was a very satisfying hike over different kinds of terrain. Some areas were very easy, level, solid paths. Other areas were more rocky. And the last quarter-mile is up a rocky cliff. There is a variety of different kinds of habitat; the path mostly follows a stream (Zealand river?), through woods and a bog. We had a very pleasant lunch on a rocky part of the stream, then headed up to the hut.

Below: Headed for the hut.

Zealand Falls hut is smaller than the other huts I was familiar with, or at least it seemed that way. There are two buildings, a main building and an adjacent bathroom. The main building is divided into two main dormitory bedrooms, each one has a 4-bed room and a larger room. In the center is the kitchen/dining room. There’s barely enough room for everyone’s packs. Unfortunately, there isn’t much of a view from the hut itself; perhaps there was one in the past which became obscured by tree growth. I was disappointed that the snacks available (snickers and Cliff Bars) all contained peanuts or walnuts, both of which Son is allergic to. So much for talking up getting a snack at the hut.

It’s just a short few steps from the hut to the falls themselves. Zealand Falls is one of those really enjoyable spots where running water cascades across several hundred feet of rocky ground. The water collects into small pools and streams which are fun for adults and children to wade and splash. My kids enjoyed following the path of the water upstream to what I presume are the actual falls, a vertical cascade of some thirty feet or so. At the foot of the falls is a little swimming hole that’s a bit deep for the little ones.

Below: the falls

When I explained that the water going over the falls eventually finds its way to the Atlantic Ocean, Daughter got the idea of floating a stick down the falls and following it for as long as she could. We learned that it’s a long way to the Atlantic Ocean.

Daughter made the hike back (in sneakers) without much complaint, thus demonstrating that she’s a pretty strong hiker. Son, however, required carrying for a good part of the return. Still, he did a commendable job. He was certainly one of the smallest hikers we saw during the whole journey.

After a welcome cooling-off in the pool, we enjoyed some homemade pizza at the Pizza Pub. The predicted showers finally made an appearance around 6pm, and the accompanying winds got us a little misted because we sat in an enclosed porch area.

Day Three (Sunday): Storyland

If Day Two was for the adults, then Day Three was for the kids. We arrived early and spent most of the day at Storyland, in Glen, NH. Storyland is one of those attractions that has been in the White Mountains forever. There’s a good mix of different activities for the kids, including splash rides, rollercoasters, exhibits with live illustrations of public domain childrens’ stories, and some live shows we didn’t take in. Certainly today was the highlight for the kids.

After Storyland, we went shopping in Conway for a few things, and had dinner at the kids’ favorite spot, Friendly’s.

Below: Storyland

On the drive back from Conway to the motel in Twin Mountain, as the sun was sinking low and the darkness grew, Wife put on the car radio and out came the sounds of genuine New Hampshire culture. We had stumbled upon the NHPR Folk Show, which provided exactly the right ambiance for a drive through mountain country.

Day Four (Monday): Cog Railway

Monday morning was clear, and we had reservations on the Mount Washington Cog Railway. Mount Washington and the Presidential Range is one of my favorite spots in the world; I’ve hiked that area twice. The only way I was going to get the kids up there was by some means of transport, in this case the promise of a train ride. We made reservations on the first train of the day, which proved a good idea for a number of reasons. The first train is a little cheaper, it was less crowded (less than half full), it was early enough that the sun was a bit lower in the sky. While it’s nothing like hiking up the mountain under one’s own power, riding the Cog Railway is a nice historic attraction. We took the option of staying on the summit for a couple of hours, where there is a nice lunch counter, post office, weather museum, and other amenities.

Below: Cog Railway

I showed the kids the view of the Lakes of the Clouds Hut, where I have twice overnighted in previous trips. And I took them for a short half-hour hike over the exposed boulders of the alpine zone. I guess I enjoyed the trip more than the kids. Mt. Washington is one of my favorite places in the world, and it was a rare opportunity to enjoy the summit without sticking to a timetable. But I know they enjoyed hiking on the rocks.

Below: All of us at the summit.

Below: the weather on that day. Compare with today.

That afternoon we briefly checked out the new AMC Highland Center in Crawford Notch. It’s an interesting concept that I want to like, but I can’t justify paying the exhorbitant fees to overnight there. And there wasn’t much to say for stopping by there for a snack, as there is little in the way of munchies that a kid would like. Maybe someday I’ll give the Highland Center another chance, but for now it’s not a place I plan to stay.

After a short nap while the Wife took the kids to the pool, we went out for dinner in Littleton. Littleton is one of those gorgeous places that has retained its small-town downtown atmosphere and non-chain-store flavor. Unfortunately, the mexican place we planned to dine was closed Mondays. As a substitute we chose the Littleton Diner, which is one of those original prefabricated diners that was transported by rail and dropped into place on Main Street in the 1930’s or so. The food is pretty standard. Despite the fact that we were all pretty well stuffed, we followed up dinner with ice cream at Bishop’s, famous for its home-made ice cream. I hate to report that the ice cream at Bishop’s, while no doubt quite fine for New Hampshire, is not nearly as good as any number of ice cream places that we enjoyed in Cape Cod.

Day Five (Tuesday): Polar Caves

Our last day in New Hampshire began with breakfast at Polly’s Pancake Parlor in Sugar Hill. Polly’s is a real treat, one of those places that manages to do wonders with the simple pancake. They have several different batters (buttermilk, buckwheat, cornmeal, etc) and several different mix-ins (blueberries, choc chips, etc) that allow you to have a different pancake experience each time. And everything is made in an open grill, where you can watch (if you want). Polly’s certainly seems to be quite the institution.

After Polly’s we made our way down to the Polar Caves, another White Mountains institution which seems to have been around forever. It’s a neat attempt to “tame” natural cave formations with an extensive boardwalk and signage. The caves themselves are true natural wonders, the kind of place kids love to explore. The caves are surprisingly claustrophobic. I wanted to stay behind a while and imagine living or sleeping in one.