Mike is standing to the left--shows you how big it is...

Conway, NH: Nice, sunny morning. And the refrigerator is definitely fixed. Worked just fine all night. Mike fried up some bacon and we had bacon, eggs, and biscuits for breakfast. After that we headed over to Lake Winnepasegue to go on the cruise. However, the boat was chartered for a large party so we drove over there for nothing. On the way back though we stopped to see the Madison boulder. Everyone said we should go see the Madison boulder. So we did—down this horrible, rough dirt road. It was pretty neat though. The thing was dumped there by a glacier about 25,000 years ago. It’s one of the largest in the world. After that we came back and read for a while. The large group from Rhode Island is here for a long weekend because Rhode Island is the only state that recognizes VJ day as a holiday. VJ DAY??? Give me a break. They probably don’t even know what it is. So, we’re stuck with them until Monday when they leave. They turned on the radio in one of their vehicles a little while ago and had it blaring. I took that for only so long and then strode over there and asked them to turn it down—which they did. I hate it when people come to these national forest campgrounds and think they can do whatever they want and to hell with everyone else.

Conway, NH: We kicked back today. Had a fire all morning. Mike ran the generator for a couple of hours and I vacuumed while I had the chance. Mike took the panel off the back of the refrigerator and cleaned out an orifice which was clogged with corrosion. That seemed to fix the problem with the refrigerator. It hasn’t turned off since. We’re keeping our fingers crossed. He is so good. The host stopped over with her cute little puppies. Played with them for a while. Read our books and after dinner we played Monopoly for a while. A big group in here from Rhode Island. But it’s pretty quiet for a Friday night. Was cloudy all morning but cleared in the afternoon. Cool day and is really getting chilly tonight.

Squam Lake

Conway, NH: Stayed up late last night playing Spades on the Internet with David. Mike actually went to bed before I did. A beautiful night with lots of stars. I was not tired at all when I went to bed. Don’t know when I actually got to sleep. Fiddled around on the computer again in the morning and then we headed over to Squam Lake. A beautiful drive over there. It’s a little north of Lake Winnepasague. It was much bigger than I thought and surrounded by mountains. We went through the little town of Sandwich—founded in 1763. Wow! Before the Revolutionary War! Many historic buildings. We got to the dock in Holderness where we were going to catch the boat cruise and the boat was loaded on the dock and ready to go. The boat was already filled. And it was the last cruise. An elderly couple on the boat said they’d give up their seats so we could go. I said absolutely not. We left and were walking down the dock toward a couple in a boat with two labs and we heard them yelling from the boat. The couple insisted on letting us have their seats. They said they were staying in the area and had taken the cruise several times before and wanted us to see it. We thanked them profusely and got on the boat. And Mike thinks North Easterners are unfriendly people!!! Maybe it’s just one Northeasterner he has in mind? Anyway, what a wonderful gesture and I wish I had written down their names. They’re going to take the cruise tomorrow. The lake is beautiful. It’s where “On Golden Pond” was filmed. After the cruise we had dinner at Walter’s Basin Pub right at the dock overlooking the lake. When we got back to the campground we stopped to visit the hosts and see their puppies. What a handful! And the hosts are such nice people.

Russell Pond

Conway, NH: Started raining during the night and has continued all morning. It’s just now letting up. But, I got on the computer this morning and finally did figure out what I was doing wrong with the backup and successfully completed a backup. I love the computer again. Refrigerator still acting up. Won’t stay lit. Mike has talked to Norcold and an RV dealer close by (terrible place) and got nowhere. Should be okay until we get home. We’ll just have to be careful. Wouldn’t you know we’re on no hook-ups for the next three weeks or so. Finally showed signs of clearing up so we headed over the Kancamagus Pass again to Lincoln to see Bourne Ultimatum. Really looked ugly on the other side of the pass—like it was going to storm any minute. Yesterday when we went over the pass there was a girl riding her bike up towards the pass. 9% grade. She must have legs of steel. Not my idea of fun. On the way back over the pass after the movie there was all kinds of rescue vehicles and an ambulance by the day use area where people go out on the boulders on the Swift River and swim. Must be someone got hurt pretty bad. Stopped at a little sports bar in Conway and had a bite to eat. Bourne Ultimatum was good. It never did storm. Tomorrow we’re heading to Scrum Lake where On Golden Pond was filmed.

Along the Kancamengus Highway

Conway, NH: Cloudy at first this morning but then cleared somewhat. I got up early and started working on the computer. Having a problem backing stuff up. Worked for a couple of hours and got nowhere. Finally gave up and by now am in a terrible mood. I did, however, get my MSN account back up. When I was on the phone with Tech Support (from India) he told me I should delete the account and then start over. Said I: But if I delete it I have to be on line to get all my e-mails, contacts, etc. back. I can’t get on line, that’s why I’m talking to you. Said he: But you need to do this. Trust me, you’ll get it back. And, of course I couldn’t get it back so I thanked him and hung up. But I was finally able to get it all back. So we headed back to the Kanecamangus Scenic Highway we were on yesterday in the rain and fog. What a beautiful drive right through the middle of the White Mountain National Forest and over the Kanecamangus pass. Beautiful, rugged mountains and right along the Swift River. Oh, and all the people that were in Conway because of the bad weather were now on the river. People everywhere--on the boulders, swimming and playing in the little chutes and falls. That water must have been cold. Hope they froze their little butts off. On the other side of the forest we went through the cute little town of Lincoln, NH. Checked out a campground over there we were thinking of going next but decided not to. It’s on a pretty little pond but the road up there was horrible. Came back over the pass and back to our campground. Mike grilled chicken and I made mashed potatoes and a vegetable. Had a fire after dinner. Played cards for a while. Tomorrow it’s supposed to rain. Hopefully they’re wrong. I am not going to touch the computer tomorrow. I’m afraid I may do something I’ll regret one of these days to that stupid thing.

Conway, NH: A few clouds rolled in this morning and then it started raining, then pouring, so after putzing around here this morning we headed out to Conway to check out the movie times and buy a couple of “chairs in a bag”. The traffic into Conway was horrendous. What in the world is going on we thought? First we thought we’d check the movie times. After getting turned around a couple of times we finally found the theatre in the local “mall” which consisted of a J. C. Penny, a Chinese restaurant, and the cinema. Mike pulled up front and I dashed in through a downpour threading my way through a bunch of kids and then realized there was nothing showing for anyone over 10 years of age. Dashed back to the truck and we headed to the L. L. Bean store. More horrible traffic. Finally get there and parked and slogged through a flooded parking lot into the store which was packed with people. By now we’re hating this town and everyone in it. Left there and headed to the Walmart which was relatively quiet. Got our chairs and decided to find a nice, quiet restaurant and have several drinks and a late lunch. Come to find out, Conway has every outlet known to man. People come from all over to shop here in this tiny town. After lunch (and several drinks) we decided to take a look at the next campground we’re planning to stay after we leave here. It’s on a scenic highway (two-lane road actually) which runs through the middle of the White Mountain National Forest along the Swift River. A beautiful drive. The Swift River is a beautiful boulder-strewn river which is not navigable—except by canoe or kayak in high water only. A couple of gorges and water falls. The first campground you come to is the “Covered Bridge” campground which we can’t get into because you have to cross the river on a historic covered bridge and we’re too high to clear. We’re planning on staying at the Jigger Johnson campground which we checked out and is very nice. Again, no hook-ups. Back to the camper and some Excedrin to quell this headache. Hangover?

I could not sleep last night for some reason. Finally at about 1:00 or 2:00 a.m. I took some Tylenol PM—which was a big mistake. Still couldn’t sleep and woke up feeling drugged. So we just hung out all day. Mike wanted to check the solar panels when they were in the sun anyway because he didn’t think they were working properly. But, they’re working fine—just get direct sun only a couple of hours a day. So, we’ll probably have to run the generator a little from time to time. We also keep getting an error code on the refrigerator since it’s been on gas. Mike thinks it’s some air in one of the propane tanks. If it keeps up we’ll have to take it and get it purged and refilled. We’ve never had a problem with the refrigerator, but if we need to replace it I’d rather do it while we still have a warranty. Anyway, that’s about the extent of our day. It was a perfectly beautiful day—sunny and cool in the morning. We actually had a fire this morning. Would have been great hiking weather if I’d have felt better. There are two trails we can take right from the campground. One is a 4 mile loop called the ledge trail. And the other is a much longer one up to the top of one of the mountains. Think we’ll pass on that one.