Not our name, but our passion
The Conner Farm Wildlife Management Area in Exeter is a small former farmstead now open to the public.
The 235 acre site is a combination of open fields and woodland. The area is stocked with pheasant for hunting and offers some nice photographic opportunities especially at sunset. The farm itself is privately owned and their privacy should be respected.
The 900 Degrees Pizzeria in Epping, New Hampshire is a nice local wood fired pizzeria offering a fine selection of pies in many varieties. They have a selection of pizzas and other Italian food options on their menu.
The restaurant has a large dining area and an attached bar section.
We started with appetizers. The meatballs were fairly pedestrian but the wings were very good.
The reason you come of course is for the pizza. We have had the Margherita pizza before so we decided to try the Donatella and Cinque Formaggi tonight.
The fresh arugula on the Donatella was delicious and as Alex’s face can attest the pizza was heaven.
Finish the meal with some complimentary rock candy.
Bear Brook State Park in Allenstown, New Hampshire is one of the jewels in the State Park system. The park is the epitome of a multi-use, all purpose park with hiking, equestrian, archery, camping, snowmobiling, fishing and swimming as just some of the activities. Divided into several sections accessed from sevral points the park contains 10,000 acres of woods, trails and ponds.
There are over 40 miles of trails winding through the heavily wooded park. Most of the trails can be accessed through the Podunk Road entrance to the park. The road is rough dirt and the trail heads are at several places along it.
Keep an eye open for the grave of an unknown civil war soldier.
There is a parking lot to leave your car with access to many of the trails.
Also available are equestrian trails with parking available for horse trailers.
Maybe the best option would be to stay at one of the campgrounds in the park. There is a large public site with swimming and facilities including a camp store.
The swimming hole here is for campers only.
Canoes and kayaks are also available for the campers.
There are also hike in camp sites and cabin rentals within the park.
Besides the hiking and camping there is a fly fishing only pond, a children’s fishing pond and an archery range.
If history is your forte there is much to offer there as well. The old CCC camp houses two museums of local interest. The Bear Brook Civilian Conservation Core Museum is housed in one of the few remaining CCC encampments still extant in the U.S.
An Antique Snowmobile Museum is also housed in one of the old CCC barracks.
Across the street from the CCC camp and museum grounds is the Old Allenstown Meeting House.
The day use portion of the park is further along Deerfield Road. Here you will find a lake with swimming, canoe rentals and picnic facilities.
In summary this is a great park for the whole family and has something to offer almost everyone.
The Old Allenstown Meeting House in Allenstown, New Hampshire lies adjacent to Bear Brook State Park on Deerfield Road. The meeting house has a unique slanted floor directing views towards the pulpit. The building was built in 1815 and was used for both religious and town business. The building makes for an interesting stop when visiting Bear Brook State Park for its architecture and history. It is located across the road from the entrance to the park museum complex.
I love french fries and although I do prefer a good hand cut fresh fry from a higher end establishment fast food fries can definitely hit the spot. My son and I decided to hit the road and taste test the four most popular fast food chain french fries. We sampled fries from McDonalds, Burger King, Wendys and KFC. So without further ado here are the opinions of one 59 year old semi-adult and one ten year old little boy:
#4) Burger king – Both of us liked BK fries the least. Alex’s comments were that they were not salty enough and were “soggy”. I have to agree with both of his comments I too found them less salty than preferred and they are definitely the less crisp of the four fries sampled. One other note is that they were thicker than the shoestring type fries from Wendys and Mcdonlds.
#3) My number three was Wendys and Alex’s was McDonalds. Both fries were thin cut “shoesting style” and crisp. Alex noted that the Wendys fries were a little soggier and I agree with him but he still preferred them to the McDonalds.
#2) Alex Wendys and me KFC. Alex felt the salt level was just right on the Wendys fries. The KFC potato wedges ar the most dissimilar to the other fries tested. They are like the name suggests wedges of potato and are the only ones that are seasoned. These are Alex’s favorite mainly due to the seasoning and the deep potato flavor.
#1) McDonalds for me but Alex likes KFC (see above). To me the McDonalds french frie is still the standard by which all others are judged. Thin, crisp with just the right amount of salt.
