Last Day At The Woods 2015

Bretton Woods encouraged everyone to use the hashtag #dayatthewoods to tag our adventures this year at the resort. We tagged probably 50 days at Bretton Woods this season.

Our final trip to the resort this year  was one of indulgences. The last day of the season set for Patriot's Day Monday, we planned to play hooky from school and work, and spend Sunday night at the Omni Mount Washington Hotel.










Although the kids relished their time in the Hotel's pool more than anything, my delight was the sunny skies over the softest snow of the season on Sunday. We had traded neck gaitors for sunscreen and powder skiing for sliding on slushy mashed potatoes. The endless winter had left the trails still abundant with snow, and I was reminded of the irony of closing the mountain with so much snow still on the ground, recalling the first day of the season when we were willing to ski on one thin strip of snow in November and grab a ride on the Polaris Rangers to the still-brown base of the Zephyr Quad.

The elevation on Rosebrook made for snow that wasn't quite so slushy, and we covered every run up there from McIntire's Ride to Zealand. 

Presidential views on a perfect bluebird spring day.

Timmy took a moment to show the older guys how its done on Bode's Run.

The staff at the the Omni Mount Washington Hotel, knows how to make the kids feel welcome They were greeted warmly by the front desk staff, and each one received a Omni Kids backpack, packed with games, coloring books, crayons and a fun straw. Bridget wore hers everywhere we went at the resort. After dinner, the kids found milk and cookies waiting for them in them in our room.

The stark contrast of snowcapped mountains above the brown valley makes the expansive vistas all the more impressive. The kids ran down the back walkway for warm dip in the outdoor heated pool.

Mother Nature seemed to be as reluctant to let go of winter as I was on the last ski day of the season.  But whether I like it or not, the seasons change and the kids grow. From the excitement of the Boston Ski Show, to making new friends at the Bretton Woods Club, to soaring through the forest on the Canopy Tour, to more powder days than I can recall, it has been a wonderful adventure. Thanks for sharing it with us!

April Moose Fun

April vacation is upon us, and although the ski season seems a distant memory, we're still enjoying all Northern New Hampshire has to offer, especially with another heat wave in the forecast this week. 

After realizing that the bean-sprout children had shot up once again and that none of the clothes I'd saved from last summer were going to fit anymore, we piled into the car yesterday morning for a little bargain-hunting in nearby North Conway, home of some great outlets.  

Appropriately outfitted for the sun, we set out for some real outdoor fun.  Like a choose-your-own-adventure book, in this outdoor playground, often the hardest choice to make near Bretton Woods is which trail to stop and explore today.  Between North Conway and Bretton Woods in Bartlett is a spot that I had driven by many times but never stopped at: Diana's Baths.  Half a mile form the turn-off to Cathedral Ledge on West Side Road, it's an easy half mile walk to cascading falls, waterspouts, and granite basins along Lucy Brook.   Of course, half a mile with preschoolers and a 5-month old puppy is not necessarily fast, but I reminded myself to enjoy the fact that Timmy was revelling in rock collection and Bridget that was frequently found summiting boulders, and that it didn't matter how fast we made it to the falls, if at all.  But we did reach out destination, and although we just dipped out toes in the icy stream today, the shallow pools looked like the perfect place to head back this summer when we're really ready for a swim.

At the Omni Mount Washington Hotel, the next two weeks are April Family Fun Weeks, and I knew that the Resort would be hosting some fun indoors and out.  Although this evening's hunt for (stuffed) moose, complete with "hunting licenses" and "regulations" set out by the "warden" sounded like a ton of fun, it was set to happen after my little hunters' bedtime. 

But an afternoon stop at Omni Kids to color our own moose t-shirts was right up our alley.  I have to confess that although I could spend all day creating rock and stick huts in the woods, and I know that arts and crafts are a huge draw for kids, if someone else is setting up the opportunity to get creative with markers and fabric, I'm all for it.

So after a quick stop at Morsels for a Gummy-on-a-stick treat, Bridget and Timmy (made themselves comfortable) grabbed some fabric markers and a moose t-shirt.  With the typical patience of a two-year old, Timmy approached his moose art with bold strikes of color, without so much as a thought of coloring in the lines, and declared "I'm done" just five minutes later.  satisfied with his masterpiece, he found his way over to the other toys. 

Bridget, in contrast, made sure to get her hands on a brown marker for her moose and a red marker for the roof of The Mount Washington Hotel in the background.  Eager to show off her new found spelling skills, she also wrote her name right on the front of her t-shirt next to her moose.

After completing their works of moose art, we headed upstairs and out onto the verandah that wraps around the Hotel.  The cushion-filled wicker seats along the walk were too much for them to resist, and they sampled several along the way.  Hopefully Mom and Dad will be back again soon to perhaps enjoy a beverage on the verandah in the not-so-distant future!