I am thrilled to be back in the White Mountains!
I loved this area when we were doing the Appalachian Trail Adventure
in 2005 but didn't have the opportunity then to see other
trails in this large mountain range or the attractions -- other
than the summit of Mt. Washington -- that
draw visitors from all over the world.
Mt. Washington is in the
distance in this photo from Bethlehem, NH; you can hike or drive to the
smmit.
Our original reservation was for one week at the Twin Mountain RV
Park since the owners offer a reasonable weekly rate. I'm writing this
entry later (much later) so I can reveal that we liked it here so much,
and had so many activities planned, that we stayed for two weeks. That
also gave us a little more time to plan for the month we spent in the
Canadian Maritimes, our next destination.
Most of the photos in this entry are from this date but a few are
from later during our stay.
THE SCENIC DRIVE TO TWIN MOUNTAIN
It was a short 84-mile drive from the Pine Valley KOA in Quechee, VT
to the equally-small town of Twin Mountain, NH. We drove north on I-91
in VT along the Connecticut River to exit 17, where we turned east on US 302 into NH.
This is a very scenic route through forests and small towns, with
views of the White Mountains to the east and south of us.
After crossing the Connecticut River US 302 followed the Ammonoosuc River most
of the rest of the way to Twin Mountain:
We stopped once along the way for groceries and
arrived at the campground in Twin Mountain at lunchtime.
TWIN MOUNTAIN RV PARK
The
campground is about a mile south of town on
US 3. It sits several hundred feet off the highway behind the motor
court's 15 cottages so it is very quiet, with panoramic views of the
surrounding mountains:
North and
Middle Sugarloaf mountains are to the left, Twin Mountain to the right.
A closer view of Twin Mountain
The campground is also convenient to all the trails and
attractions in the Whites. We really like this place.
We checked in quickly and met the campground host and one of the owners,
who have been very gracious and informative since we've been here.
There are 18 pull-thru grass-and-gravel sites that are long
enough to accommodate the longest rig combinations we've ever seen. Our
site is about halfway back one of the two rows:
That's our
Carriage Cameo, looking south to Twin Mountain.
View to
mountains north of our site
All the sites have 30-amp electricity, water, sewer, and a good cable
connection with lots of clear stations. Our Verizon phone and MiFi work
great.
If no one is in the site next to our doorside we can get decent WiFi
from the office (and nice views of Twin Mountain's two peaks).
Otherwise, we have to use our personal MiFi.
The next photo taken
several days after our arrival shows four empty sites next to us
and Twin Mountain below the clouds in the background:
The daily rate is $40, the weekly rate is $240, and there is a seasonal
rate of $1800 + electricity for up to six months.
We were able to get a
10% discount with our Good Sam card, making our weekly rate $216 for an
average of $32.29/day. That's higher than we usually pay at a military
campground but it's a good rate for a private campground. We paid 'way
more than that at the last place, a KOA.
Guests in the RV park have access to an outdoor
swimming pool, a small laundry room, a store/office/game room, and a
large grassy field behind the campground where we can play ball with Casey.
These daisies are at
the back edge of the field:
There is a steep path down to the Ammonoosuc River beyond the field but no
access for the dogs to get into the water; the bank is too steep.
I took the dogs down there almost every day we were here. We found lots
of other streams in the Whites where we could let them swim.
The ripe raspberries and pretty flowers along the trail made the steep
ascent back up to the campground more enjoyable!
Perky little
lilies
Unusual
orange berries; didn't try to eat those!
We enjoyed talking with several of the other
guests while we were in this campground. The campground host, Dennis, has a 2005
Carriage Compass, which we haven't seen before. He and his wife are
full-time RVers, as is the couple on our off-doorside. Dennis was very
helpful when our new MorRyde pin box arrived; it was too heavy
for Jim and me to lift and install by ourselves. (The pin box mounts to
the underside of the front cap of our fiver and connects to the hitch in
the back of the truck when in transit.)
Another couple near us has a
new Lifestyle 5th-wheel. It was interesting to compare our rigs. Many of the Carriage employees went to work at
the company that produces Lifestyle coaches (Evergreen) when Carriage
went bust in 2012.
TWO UNUSUAL RIGS
One day we were more than surprised to come home and find a sleek, brand
new tan and navy-colored 45-foot Class A
rig with a NY dealer tag parked next to us, blocking both our view and
our WiFi signal.
Without even knowing what it was, we knew it was expensive.
We just didn't know how expensive until later that evening.
When I got online with our MiFi card I noticed that the personal WiFi
signal from next door was "Newell" and a four-digit number. I thought
perhaps it was the peoples' name and house street number until we realized Newell
is a high-end motorhome company.
For the heck of it we googled "Newell" and the number, which I
won't reveal. Turns out,
Newell numbers each rig they produce. There are retail prices listed for
the numbers before and after this rig, plus others, that are in the
range of $1.73 million.
Unbelievable! Yes, it looks great, with
nice chrome and paint features, rounded slide edges (good idea), and
cool colors. It's undoubtedly elegant inside, too. But
one-and-three-quarters million dollars??? C'mon. The sales tax in NY
alone cost more than our high-end 5th-wheel cost new. Can't imagine what
that high-tax state charges for registration fees, licensing, etc. I'm
surprised they didn't form a Montana LLC to avoid the tax on it.
As noted in one of my
entries re: selling our house, it's amazing how much you can find
out about someone on the internet. The owners are on the Newell online
forum so we know their names, when and where they bought the rig (took
possession just a few days ago), the concerns they have about it, and
other personal information they've shared online.
The main concern I'd
have about it is fearing some idiot would run into it while we're
driving down the road!
No, we're not envious. We're perfectly happy with our own rig. Folks can spend
their money any way they want. If we could afford one of those we wouldn't
buy one. It seems ridiculous to us to spend so much on a depreciating item
like a motorhome, even if they plan to live in it full-time.
That classy house on wheels is quite a contrast to another combination
that came in another day. It's not our style either:
Big 'ole diesel semi with two motorcycles in the bed, hauling a pretty
old 5th-wheel, and two bicycles on the front bumper -- they
really need a long site like the ones in this campground.
That reminds us of a combo we saw several years ago at the USAF Academy
in Colorado Springs, except it had a teensy car sideways behind the
truck cab and the 5th-wheel was a new, large, high-end model.
It's been interesting here! This is just an example of the many ways
people travel in RVs.
Next entry: hiking to the summit of Mt. Washington
-- nine years older this time -- can I do it??
Happy trails,
Sue
"Runtrails & Company" - Sue Norwood, Jim O'Neil,
Cody the ultra Lab, and Casey-pup
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© 2014 Sue Norwood and Jim O'Neil
