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Mount Washington - Part 2
Written by: Stacey Stern
To take your family on a rustic adventure reminiscent of your own childhood memories, New Hampshire has all the best pieces to make a new trip down Memory Lane.
The next morning we noticed a lot of fog as we headed to the inn for breakfast, which is included with the all the rooms and cottages. We met Dick's wife Terry, as she served us from the buffet table. Breakfast included: eggs with cheddar cheese, French toast, fruit with or without sour cream, cereal, juice, and coffee. I asked if there was any decaf, and Dick brewed a special pot for me. Amanda enjoyed the French toast and ate 3 pieces. As we ate, Dick and Terry told us the fog was actually smoke from the Canadian forest fires.
After breakfast, we headed to Attitash Bear Peak & Fields of Attitash on Route 302 in Bartlett. Upon arriving, we met with Katherine Gadman who set us up with passes for the day. First, we went to the Buddy Bear Playpool for ages 7 and under. We did not realize we needed to bring our own towels, so while I changed the kids into bathing suits in the van, Sal went to buy towels and sunscreen (we forgot that, too). The pool was about knee deep at its deepest, and filled with soft rubber seesaws, lilypads, and frogs spouting water, and a slide for the older kids. It was very refreshing since the day was very hot. Amanda made a friend, and they played together, while I kept D.J. busy in the shallow water, and Sal took vacation videos.
Sal and Amanda decided to try one of the water slides. They took an inner tube and climbed the path. About two minutes later, Amanda came back saying she was too scared to try it. This slide used one to three person inner tubes in a mostly-covered ride ending in a pool of water. We asked her if she wanted to try the other slide which used individual mats, but she was still afraid. After speaking with some of the other parents, most said their kids were about 7 before they would go down the slides.
About noon, we changed into clothes and met Katherine to get lunch. Amanda ordered a ham and cheese sub, Sal had a cheeseburger, D.J. mostly played with a foot-long hot dog, and I had fish and chips. We all shared onion rings, and then had pudding for dessert. After lunch, Amanda and I then rode the ski lift up to the alpine slide. Amanda loved the ride. We discussed how high we were and how far we could see, while I held onto her waist for dear life!! She was fine, though, and I was very happy once we reached the top. I took a sled and headed to the line for the track. Amanda ran ahead, slipped and skinned her knee, which upset her until we got onto the track. I put the sled down and climbed in with her in front of me. As we moved closer to the start, she was nervous about going and kept begging me to go slow. Once we were cleared to go down, she kept yelling, "Faster! Faster!" and didn't want to slow down at all.
The ride was a lot of fun, and I was surprised to find out we had been gone for 30 minutes from start to finish. It was the best alpine slide ride I have ever been on, and I have been on others. Other activities available are: a skate course, mountain boarding, bike trails down the mountain, horseback riding, golf, and a scenic chairlift ride. The ride takes 30 minutes up the mountain on a ski lift to an observatory. It looked interesting, but not with a 14-month-old along for the ride.
At 2pm, we headed for the car and two very exhausted children fell asleep for two hours. Sal and I took the time to go shopping. Sal went into a couple of computer stores, while I sat with the kids, and then I went into the L.L. Bean outlet, and the K.B. Toys outlet while Sal sat in the car.
After the kids' nap and our shopping excursion, we headed to the Mount Washington Observatory's Weather Discovery Center, which is a non-profit museum located on Rout 16 in North Conway. We met Scot Henley, and learned about the weather center and the observatory on Mount Washington. First, we saw a short film about wind, with great sound effects and fans to enhance the experience. The exhibits are kid-friendly experiments. Amanda liked the air cannon aimed at a wall of flags. When she hit the back, the flags moved; or as D.J. preferred, his hair blew. A small boat in a pool of water was surrounded by fans. We were able to move the boat in different directions by pushing the buttons on the fans. There was a weather reporting area to practice for the news, and a demonstration of how information is sent to the National Weather Service. The observatory on the mountain has the record for the highest recorded wind speed ever. The museum has a simulator where you can experience the sound, feel, and sight of the 231-mph wind recorded in 1934.
Read part 1 | Read part 2 | Read part 3 | Read part 4 | Read part 5
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