Fresh Snow at Wentworth-Coolidge Mansion State Historic Site

Over the weekend we got several inches of fresh snow around here (finally!), so we were keen to go sledding. We were wondering if we could sled in any of the state parks, so I went on an early morning expedition to scope out any possible sledding spots in a couple of the state parks closest to us. 

First up was the Wentworth-Coolidge Mansion Historic Site, where we had recently been on our First Day Hike. I was the only person there and had the place all to myself! I wandered around the grounds taking some photos of the newly fallen snow. It seems like it only takes a day (or just a few hours!) before all that soft white snow gets brown-ish, or trodden on, or melts, so I really enjoyed being the first one to enjoy the snow at this location. The sun was still low in the sky and for a while it was a clear, sunny day ... then it clouded over ... but not before I got a few photos of the bright blue sky.

In terms of sledding locations, there is a nice wide and sloping lawn next to the old mansion and it would be ideal for sledding ... however it ends at a 6ft drop to either water or rocks, depending on the tide ... which is considerably less ideal! I was somewhat confident that we would stop in time so it was a tempting option, but I was also a bit hesitant about sledding on the grounds of the mansion, as I had never seen people engaged in "active pursuits" there and I wasn't really sure if it would be considered OK, so I decided to move on.

Next up was Odiorne Point State Park. By the time I got there it was already quite busy with other people enjoying the snow. Mostly snow-shoers and cross-country skiers on the trails. It didn't take me long to realize that Odiorne Point is a pretty flat park, with very little to offer for sledding. The only "hill" is an old bunker, which actually has a very steep slope which would give a sled a good amount of speed. However the only part of this "hill" that is free of vegetation ends at a concrete slab and a picnic table ... so that was a no-go as well.

I didn't spend long at Odiorne Point and at that point I gave up (at least temporarily) on the notion of sledding in a state park and we headed out to one of our local "stand-by" sledding locations instead. I am still curious though if any of the parks slightly further afield (Pawtuckaway, Kingston, Northwood Meadows, etc) might offer some sledding options. Does anybody know if those state parks have places suitable for sledding? If so, feel free to leave suggestions in the comments below!

January Beach Excursion Part 1: Hampton Beach State Park

It's January, so we thought we'd take an excursion to the beach! Going to the beach in winter might sound strange (to those in the Northern Hemisphere at least), but the beach is beautiful at all times of year, and in the winter we have it almost all to ourselves (no flighting to find a parking spot!). Plus, we had a day off from work on a 45 degree day ... which deserved to be celebrated in some way. So, we headed out for a walk along a few of New Hampshire's beaches.

The beaches in New Hampshire are all relatively close to each other, so we managed to visit three beaches in a single morning. This post will focus on our visit to Hampton Beach State Park and posts about our time at North Hampton Beach and Jenness Beach will follow soon.

Despite living just a few short miles from Hampton Beach, I don't think I had ever been there before. I know we have driven through the town a couple of times, but to be honest in the summer it is so crowded that we try to avoid it and tend to stick to the beaches that are a little further north (which are still crowded but are at least closer to home). However, today the beach was decidedly uncrowded!

We parked at the southern end of the beach, where there are some nice sand-dunes and grasses next to the water, rather than the (mostly boarded up for the season) souvenir stores, motels, and fast food joints a bit further north.

It was a bright sunny day with a brilliant blue sky. The warm weather and recent rain had melted almost all the snow, so it is almost hard to tell in these photos that they were taken in winter instead of summer (the giveaway is the lack of people!). Our daughter enjoyed playing in the waves (in her snow boots!) and some brave souls even entered the water to go surfing.

The other people we met on the beach all commented on what an idyllic day it was - and it really did feel that way with the great January weather and the nice quiet beach. However, although it was warm and sunny, it was really windy too, so we still got cold pretty quickly, and we decided to head back to the car after half an hour or so, to check out some more beaches further north.

Hampton Beach is a really long, sandy beach and we only walked the southern end of it. As we drove north we noticed that there are lots of nice (new-looking) facilities, such as bathrooms and changing areas, along the whole length of the beach, so I imagine it could be a pretty convenient place to come swimming in the summer. We will have to come back again when it is warmer and explore the rest of the beach!

A Cold Winter Walk at Odiorne Point State Park

It has been rather cold here lately, resulting in us getting outside a bit less. Plus we have been busy with the general tasks of everyday life. But today, although the weather was cold, it was not too windy, so we took the opportunity to go for a walk around Odiorne Point State Park with some friends.

We had been to Odiorne Point a few times before, but mostly just to visit the Science Center there, or to attend a wedding, so this was our first time checking out the rest of the park. 

We only explored a small area before we lost daylight (not to mention the feeling in our faces!) but we had a nice time walking along a coastal walkway, and even heading down to check out the rocky (and icy) "beach". Our birder friends spotted loons out on the water, but they were not really close enough for us to get any good looks. 

It was very silent and still as the sun went down. Any wildlife that was present was not making much noise, and even the waves lapping at the shore could barely be heard. As you can see from the photos, it was all pretty colorless too - everything in shades of gray. You tend to get that in winter around here! It was quite beautiful and peaceful though.

A highlight of the walk was coming across a stone marker of the spot where English settlers first landed in New Hampshire in 1623!

This park is a fairly local one for us, and especially since there is more to explore there, I am pretty sure we will be back before the year is over, if not before the winter is over! So, although we can add it to our list of parks we have visited this year, that doesn't mean we are done with it yet. And for those keeping track at home we have now visited a grand total of two parks in our 2015 challenge!

First Day Hike at Wentworth-Coolidge Mansion Historic Site

We officially started our Year in New Hampshire State Parks today (on January 1st!) by participating in one of the First Day hikes organized by the NH Division of Parks and Recreation. We had been thinking about starting our visits to the parks at the start of the year anyway, but when we noticed that one of the First Day hikes was in our hometown, it felt meant to be!

The First Day hike we attended was at the Wentworth-Coolidge Mansion Historic Site. We had been to the Wentworth-Coolidge Mansion before, but mostly to visit the historic house rather than to walk the trails, and never in winter, so this gave us something new to try there. It was a cold day, but we had clear blue skies (at last when we started) and there was no snow in the ground so the hiking was easy and dry. 

We walked the Little Harbor Loop Trail, which took us through some forested areas and also on some coastal walkways along the Little Harbor. It was a short hike - only 1.5 miles, but it took us a while due to my inclination to stop every few feet to take a photograph, and our 4 year old daughter's leisurely pace :) 

We quickly got separated from the group we were walking with, and then overtaken by several other groups! We considered it a big success though, as we made it to the end without having to carry our daughter for any part of the hike. Our reward at the end was a cup of hot apple cider provided by the Parks Department, which really hit the spot as it was getting colder outside.

So, we can now cross Wentworth-Coolidge Mansion off our list of State Parks to visit this year! Admittedly, we did not actually need to use our State Parks pass to visit this park, since it was the off-season, so we might need to keep two tallies - one for the total number of State Parks we visit in 2015, and one for the State Parks we visit using our pass.

Overall we had a great day getting outside and enjoying some nice winter scenery right here in our hometown. As a bonus, I learned afterwards that I had won a free snowshoe rental from Eastern Mountain Sports in a raffle I had entered when we signed in for the hike! What an awesome start to the year! So, you can expect a blog post about snowshoeing in a New Hampshire State Park as soon as we get some more snow here :)

Challenge Accepted!

This year for Christmas my awesome brother and sister-in-law gave us a one year family pass to the New Hampshire State Parks. Of course, our first thought after "thank you for this great gift" was "Hmmm ... this kind of sounds like a challenge to see how many parks we can visit in one year", and my second thought was "we should create a blog to record our progress visiting all these parks!". So, in response we would like to say "Challenge accepted!" and "Welcome to our blog" :)

Over the next several months we will try to visit as many New Hampshire State Parks as possible, and we will chronicle our attempts here. Some parks are nearby (the beach parks and the other Seacoast area parks) and others are further afield (up north in the mountains). Some are easy to get to (including one that is walking distance from our house) and others are a bit challenging to access (including one on an island without any ferry service).

What will (hopefully) be great about this challenge is that it will get us out exploring this state we call home. Despite having lived here for several years there is still so much of the state we have not seen and enjoyed yet. We are hoping to get out exploring as soon as possible, despite this being the off-season for the NH State Parks. So, stay tuned for updates!