09/14 - 09/17 Sandy Beach Campground

4½ hours - 240 miles

 

Welcome to Contoocook, New Hampshire. Yes, the origin of its name was the first order of business. Pronounced "ken-too-cook". From Wikipedia I learned: "The village is named after the Contoocook River that runs through it. The name Contoocook comes from the Pennacook tribe of Native Americans and perhaps means "place of the river near pines." Other variations of the name include the Abenaki meaning "nut trees river" or Natick language meaning "small plantation at the river." In previous centuries the area was known as "Contoocookville". The Contoocook River is a 71-mile long river that flows from Contoocook Lake on the Jaffrey/Rindge border to Penacook where it empties into the Merrimack River. It's one of only a few rivers in New Hampshire that flow in a predominantly northward direction.

My site, A-27, is flat, running parallel to the road. If you've ever driven through the beautiful northeastern states, majestic pines are dense and huge. I saw many semis traveling southbound loaded with future telephone poles. Here in the campground the surrounding trees have impressive girths. I arrived around 4:15 pm and did little to set up other than plug in power. For three days, I won't lay out the mat. My black and gray water tanks are empty, my fresh water is full and, with the shade, it looks like I won't need my awning. The line of thunderstorms on my second night here proved I made good choices. Looking around me, the big rigs I see are seasonal folks complete with potted plants everywhere.

A reality check:
Fall is in the air

My view across the road. The building in the
background is the office. The trailer in the
front is a seasonal complete with porch,
shed and potted mums for the Fall.

My front yard

No back yard

No one behind me and...

...no one in front. I'm sure this place is a
weekend crowd attraction.

Cable? Internet access?  $$$
My AT&T Hotspot worked fine.

This 80±' pine tree is 78" in circumference
measured chest high. The age is calculated at 102 years.

Old, tall and straight

While composing my blog, I watched this little critter, an omnivore, scurry back and forth all afternoon collecting and stashing things somewhere close by. It used the rim of the fire ring as an observation post so I placed suet along the rim in hopes of catching a more close up shot. Although solitary creatures, Chipmunks prefer burrow living and sleep nine hours a day. I saw this one had a partner. I was amazed how far up a neighboring pine tree they scurried and chased each other...it must be mating season. With five toes on front paws and four on rear paws, their life span is about 2-3 years in the wild. 

Found this terrific photo on line

Outside my door after the downpour which lasted 
about a half hour. Radar showed a line from north-
eastern Maine down through New York and Pennsylvania

Both had been absorbed by the next morning.

My walk down to Rolf Pond:

This panoramic shot shows  Rolf Pond. It's 29 acres in size, its depth about 10 feet;
a popular boating and fishing area. And...it has a (coarse grained) Sandy Beach.

A very elaborate summer place for someone.

Seasonal rates run from "Value Sites" at $3,732 to
"Elite Sites" at $5,460. No mention of electric fees

I don't know if this is privately owned but this
resident is set up for serving passersby with a couple
of stools. Won't be here for the weekend to check it out.

With my new "Squatty" 10 lb. propane tank
I thought I'd grill something special...

...for my last dinner in New Hampshire.

That hockey puck looking hamburger shape was a
done-to-perfection filet mignon with its partner,
a done-to-perfection baked potato. The potato was first nuked,
then baked on the grill. I was too hungry to "stage" a
 more mouth watering photo. 

Friday morning arrived and it was an easy matter of "breaking down" my campsite. For me, that meant pulling the electricity and locking my storage bays. I departed Contoocook, NH at 10:30 a.m. and headed for Searsport, Maine, 234 miles northeast for my week long stay at Searsport Shores Camping Resort overlooking Penobscot Bay. I'll be visiting with my cousin, John and wife, Barbara. See you there.