Lincoln/Woodstock KOA

   

At the KOA

Kancamagus Highway

We left the Lincoln/Woodstock KOA close to checkout time.  The crew was busy cleaning and closing the campground. Luckily, We have been able to find open campsites as we travel the White Mountains.  We drove north on I-93 for a few miles before turning east on SR 112,, the Kancamagus Highway. One of the most scenic highways in New Hampshire is the Kancamagus Highway, SR 112.  It rises over a high ridge in the White Mountains and drops back to follow the Swift River into Conway.  The Beast handled the climb to the ridge easily.   Air temperature was at freezing and dropped steadily as we climbed to the pass. There was frost and ice near the top along with wet patches from salt melted ice. Controlling speed on the down grade to the river was more problematic.  The grade descending was not so bad; a low gear kept The Beast’s speed slow for the most part. Just running in a low gear at 35 mph was not always sufficient.  I prefer to brake as little as possible on downgrades to avoid over heating and either warping or burning the brakes out.   The views from the ridge and at scenic overlooks are not to be missed.   We missed some of them, the turnouts were iced over.  The road had been salted, but not the turn-outs at elevation.  We chose not to risk it.  Back at lower elevation (and higher temperatures) we stopped at scenic pullouts.  The highway is not as winding as some of the other roads we’ve driven.  In fact it is pretty mellow with easy sweeping turns until it runs along the river and even then it’s a fun, non-taxing drive.

The drive along the Kancamagus Highway is a  beautiful as the guide books say.  We would have stopped frequently but for the cold weather and a desire to reach North Conway before the JETS football game at 1 pm EST.

   

We did stop at a scenic turnout close to Conway.

Conway NH

There are two covered bridges in Conway New Hampshire.  We thought we had passed the first one as we drove into Conway to take SR 16 north. Following the Rand McNally GPS a bit too closely, I turned early onto Washington street about 200 feet ahead of the SR16 turnoff.  No problem, I thought as I negotiated a right turn, I’ll just continue up this road, go over that covered bridge ahead with a load limit of OOPS.  The load limit was 3 tons.  The Beast weights almost 6 tons.  That’s not going to work.  I had to make a U-turn on Washington street ahead of the bridge.  Oncoming traffic was understanding and the U-turn was no big deal.  I turned into a parking lot across the street and behind me to get a closer look at the bridge.

After taking some photos we continued back and up SR 16 to North Conway.  Conway is a small sleepy town.  North Conway is closer to winter skiing and the Saco river for summer water sports.  It is a bustling town.  There’s also a Central Conway where you’ll find Camping World and  Hills RV, a Winnebago dealer.

  

The 1890 Saco River Bridge, Conway New Hampshire

Driving into N. Conway going north on SR 16 you find an increasing number of small business that give way to small and mid sized strip malls that mark the commercial heart of N. Conway.  Going further you approach the old city center with its small shops.  This is the touristy part of N. Conway.  We drove through town for a “look-see”, turned about, and headed out to a Walmart where we could watch a football match with a clear view to the south and no interruptions.  With the antenna deployed and the heater running, we watched the Jets beat the Red Skins.  They would have demolished the Red Skins but for a number of JETS turn-overs.

Eastern Slope Campground

During commercials Ellen called local campgrounds listed as open through October.  Most were closed but Eastern Slope Camping was open.  We made a reservation and drove over after the game.  It was 5 pm when we pulled up to the office.  We stayed at Eastern Slope Campground that night.  Mike at the desk and Paul the owner were extremely talkative and informative.  We were looking to have Li’l Beast serviced in the next few hundred miles.  They suggested Hills RV in North Conway.  They are very close by, but closed on Sunday.  We’d call the next day.

We asked for an open campsite for better satellite reception and they gave us site 95 right in the center of the three rows of full hookups in an open clearing.  The other sites, around the clearing are in the trees.  Beautiful, but with the temperature dipping below freezing, having sunlight in the morning is welcome in addition to good sat reception.

We talked about the local economy, running a campground, how their campground floods every spring, “Look around and you’ll see that one bathroom building was built on stilts, all the electric  is built at least four feet above the ground.”  The campground is build in a meander of the Saco River.  Fully two thirds of the campground floods in the spring.  Evidence abounds: the picnic tables are chained down, the electric service boxes are elevated, and the men’s and woman’s restroom building is built on stilts.

Parked at

We drove back to North Conway to get Diesel and a jacket for Ellen.  The zipper on the one she has is failing and the jacket is old.