Monday, August 18, 2008

The Land Of The Pointy Trees

Last weekend I had the opportunity to go WAY up North to what is often referred to as "God's Country" here in New Hampshire. Pittsburg, New Hampshire is about as far north as you can get before reaching Canada. The region is affectionately called The Great North Woods and that name fits perfectly. I've lived in New Hampshire all of my life and I have never been that far north, so I thought it was high time I go.
George found a place that rented log cabins and he made a reservation for the weekend. It was the cutest little place in the middle of nowhere. The folks who own the cabins (I believe there are 8 cabins in all) are retired folks and they really cater to the people who like to rough it with comfort. LOL I mean, that place had everything you can imagine. Here you can see the living area, all comfy and cozy, and there was even a VCR by the television and movies to watch.



The kitchen was well equipped also with every appliance necessary. There was even ice already frozen in the ice trays in the freezer. Notice the Captain Morgan on the counter. (OK I had to bring that myself.)





The bedroom was roomy but if there was one negative about the place, it had to be the mattress on the bed. Just too hard for my taste but very well stocked with extra blankets, pillows and plenty of storage.



There was a second bedroom which was very much like the one we used, except there was an alarm clock in that one. Since I had no place to be in the morning, there was no need to move the clock.
The bath included a large shower stall, a pedestal sink and a commode, all relatively new. Plenty of storage also for towels and personal items.



We spent a lot of time that Friday night outside on the front porch. Here are a few photos of the glorious view.





We were even treated to a nice full moon that evening.



As the moon got higher in the sky, I was watching some clouds passing in front of it. Doesn't it look like the moon was sliced in half?







Saturday we spent a good part of the day riding around to all of George's favorite haunts. He spent a lot of time up there as a teenager hunting and camping, and he swore I would see a moose before the end of the weekend. So that was our quest, and it took many miles of riding the back roads trying to accomplish that.

Here is a pic of George by Indian Stream.



Another pic of the stream.




We saw clouds rolling in and we could hear thunder off in the distance so we went back to the cabin to wait it out. I got a nice shot of the of the storm clouds over the First Connecticut Lake.



After the storm passed I just knew there would be a rainbow. I took these from the porch of the cabin.





Once the storm passed, we headed back out to "Moose Alley" to see what we could find. I had my eyes peeled as we drove along the roadside, looking into the woods and the fields as much as I could, to spot that moose that had been eluding us all day. One moose...any moose, that was all I wanted to see. We drove up to the Canadian border and turned around at the customs building, and I thought it was going to be a fruitless day of moose hunting. George was trying to pacify me by promising me another trip up there soon. I know he felt badly since he was so sure I would see a moose. I even started singing a song I was making up along the way about how there are no moose in moose alley. It was all a ploy, a conspiracy if you will, to get the tourists up there. I had begun to call the road "Mooseless Alley" and right about dusk, a couple of miles from the turnoff to where we were staying, we came upon several cars lining the side of the roadway. We pulled over and there in the bog, was a MOOSE!!! I got my camera ready and started clicking away. In my excitement, I apparently didn't get my settings right because the pics came out pretty dark but there he is in his splendid glory.





George estimates he is a young bull moose around 700 lbs. I think he's so cool.

This is a better shot taken with George's camera.



There were quite a few people there all taking pictures and it looked like the moose was getting a bit irritated so we decided to get back to the car and get out of harms way before he got really mad. I didn't care, I was happy, I finally saw a moose in the wild. I was like a kid who just got a huge birthday present. I was excited and very happy.
We went back to the cabin and sat outside on the porch, watching the full moon again and the stars. It was a really great way to cap off the day.

We left on Sunday morning after breakfast. I was a bit sad to go home, we had such a peaceful and wonderful weekend. I am thinking that would make a nice place to go next summer during our vacation. It's quiet and relaxing, and to me, that is what taking a vacation is all about. I know George had a good time, too. He said numerous times that he could easily spend a week there and not get bored.

I've got a few more pics from the weekend but will save those for another time.
I really should get in the kitchen and make something for supper.

Hugs!

10 comments:

AliceKay said...

AWESOME PICS! What a wonderful weekend. Thanks for sharing your pics and your weekend with us. Even got a rainbow AND a moose. :)

ChicagoLady said...

I'm so glad you got to see a moose! Too bad George couldn't get you recorded singing your moose song. That looks just beautiful up in "God's Country." And the full moon was beautiful and bright Saturday night.

First Connecticut Lake? I thought you were in NH? Was the person who named the lake confused about where he was?

Intense Guy said...

Very nice looking place to stay! It looked really cosy - Does George have a nickname or even a "pet name" yet? ...Moose... George Moose... hmmmm...

The pictures of the scenery are beautiful - that one cone shaped mountain that was in your view really draws your eye to it.

*makes note: do NOT promise anyone they will see Moose (or anything except Styxieladiums) when visiting PA. Much easier on the ears that way*

LadyStyx said...

Awesome pix! Such a beautiful area...*makes note to visit sometime in this lifetime*

Deanna said...

What fun! I can sure see why they call it "God's Country". And to top it all off, you saw a Moose in the wild. How cool is that. I'd be going back every chance I'd get. Great share. Looking forward to seeing more pics.

Lainie said...

Ahh Chicagolady, I asked the same question on Saturday. I'm not sure which was named first, but the Connecticut River starts at the northernmost tip of NH at the Canadian Border and the beginning of the river's course stems from the those Lakes. The River flows all the way down to Old Saybrook, Connecticut, so I guess they named everything after Connecticut because they lacked imagination? LOL Perhaps there is a Lake in Connecticut called New Hampshire Lake?

George does not have a nickname, Iggy. Well except for Georgie, which isn't all that impressive I guess. I'll have to think up a good one.

We are going back up the first weekend of October. Hopefully there will still be some nice colors on the trees so I can get some pics. If not there, I am sure I can get some in Franconia Notch.

Karla said...

WOW That reminds me of the place I use to take my kids camping at when they were lil..well cept for the moose...had plenty of racoons and skunks though LOL
It's really great to see you having a great time *hus*

Karla said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
ChicagoLady said...

Here's a link that might help explain First Connecticut Lake

link

ChicagoLady said...

And here's a link that explains where the Connecticut River got it's name, lol.

link