The weekend of May 18 - 20 will be the spring NENP get together. We will be based somewhere around the White Mountains Potentially in Gorham or Bartlett. I have to look for some inexpensive motels and find a better one than what we had in Littleton last fall.
The subject matter that we will focus on will be wildflowers, waterfalls, landscapes, and just maybe an early morning Moose hunt. I will research the motels and let everyone know the recommended location as soon as possible.
We have selected this weekend based on trying to get the best opportunity for both wildflowers and water in the streams. It looks like a late spring given that the white mountain area is still somw covers and looking at more in the next couple of days! The landscapes and the other stuff is usually there all year round with a different looks.
** Remember ** when the Lupines bloom in June we can do an informal day, weekend, or whatever to time it for the best bloom. They are likely to need much more of a last minute decision than what we are looking at the weekend of May 18-20.
I'm in for sure, and I'm really looking forward to meeting everyone here.
I know the area VERY well, and assuming that Gorham works out, I know of half a dozen waterfalls within a 15 minute drive, and 15 minute walks, some popular, some not so much. Trilliums should be PRIME, and the way things are going, hobblebush may still be lighting up the understory. Other wildflowers should be popping good as well.
And as long as two forest service roads are open by then, I have a great evening moose pond and a great sunrise overlook location...
I will be camping during the weekend, and anyone is welcome to join me with that. It will either be Dolly Copp NFS campground, or Moose Brook State Park.
Posted by Richard Ennis on April 14, 2007 at 7:55 PM
Sounds great! I was hoping you would pick that weekend. I'll be arriving home from a week of photographing horses in Colorado on the 7th. Waterfalls and wildflowers sounds great!
Posted by Mike McNeill on April 15, 2007 at 6:27 AM
Damn, no can do. My daughter and I are doing the Avon 2 Day Walk for Breast Cancer that weekend.
Richard, what part of Colorado are you in? I'll be in Estes untill the 8th. Meeting a friend in Arches NP on the 4/30 with plans to shoot in RMNP as well. If you're anywhere close by we'll hook up for a beer.
Below is a list of motels in Gorham, NH. I have personally stayed at the top Notch and the Gorham Motor Inn. The Top Notch was fine and the Gorham Motor Inn reminds me of the place we stayed at last fall in Littleton. I expect that the nicest places in town are the Top Notch, the Royalty Inn, and the Moose Brook Motel. I will be talking to these places Mon / Tues and will post my impressions then. I wanted to get this up so people could start planning. By the way I have been told that the Mt Madison Motel is right along a train track and there is a 3 AM or so freight Train that blows a whistle every night. That info is a couple of years old so I don't know if it is still accurate. Here is the list:
Gorham, NH
Royalty Inn $ 60.00 - 70.00 / Night
603 466-3315 www.royaltyinn.com
-Would be great to have a place with a continental breakfast so we can get right out and take early pics, and it's easiest if we try to stay at (or near) the same place.
-I like the idea of the "evening moose pond" if it's open for the season - we didn't get to see any on the last trip!
Pat
Posted by Nick Leadley on April 17, 2007 at 10:24 AM
Put me on the list for that weekend. Thanks for all the work Jim !
Jim. At this point the dates look good and I plan on coming. Please let me know which motel the majority are staying at and I'll make my reservation. Look forward to seeing those I know and meeting those I don't.
Posted by Bill Whitney on April 25, 2007 at 5:41 PM
Jim...unfortunately I have a conflict that weekend...would have enjoyed meeting others in person. I am attending a Coverts training session that weekend.
The purpose of the Coverts organization is to encourage and effect the maintenance, enhancement and/or creation of wildlife habitat on private forest lands in Vermont.
So I am looking forward to that and hopefully can meet up with all you another time.
Several of us have booked rooms at the Top Notch Inn in Gorham. Jim Deasy will be booking the Pinkham House (part of the Top Notch Inn complex) which is a restored farmhouse that has three private rooms, a good rate, and a livingroom to be used for slideshows in the evening. There is room for up to 8 people to stay in the house, though three to five is ideal. Before booking, you may want to get in touch with Jim to see if there is room in the Pinkham House as it will be very convenient to have the group close together to leave at the same time in the mornings. I'm guessing there is plenty of room right now.
There is a restaurant next door to the Inn for dinner and a Dunkin Donuts right down the road. Though there is no continental breakfast, perhaps we could pitch in and someone could make a run to DD's and bring back a big jug of coffee to the house in the morning for an early start! (Morning coffee is always my first thought when planning things!)
If you do call up for a room, please ask for the "discounted rate" that Sally set up for the photography group. It gets you a AAA rate, so you can't get any more of a discount, but the people were nice, the rates were good, and they renovate several rooms every year to keep the place in good shape. Sounded good. They are on winter hours for the next couple weeks and will open the week before our trip. The winter phone # is 603-383-6747. (You may have to leave a message, but they were good about returning calls).
I have reserved Pinkham House, a renovated Farm house that is attached to the Top Notch Inn in Gorham, NH. It has three bedrooms, 1 1/2 baths, and a living room where we will have out evening get together on Saturday evening. Due to the configuration of the bedroom this place will be suitable for 5 or 7 people, all thought there is only one shower! I will be staying there as will Nick Leadley, and Jim Salge. There is room for two others or more depending on the sleeping arraignments. The cost per night will vary depending on the number of people staying there but if we have 5 people then the cost will be about $ 92.00/for the two nights. Please let me know if you would like to stay in Pinkham house and we will figure out if the bedroom configuration will be conducive to that.
By getting 5 people in Pinkham House we have a room for the gathering at no cost additional cost.
Eithr way since the Top Notch Inn and Pinkham house are at the same location we will have a place to hang out Friday night as people arrive, and maybe we can do out slide show and have some recreational beverages Saturday night for our get together. I will show the slide show that was made form the images of the participating NENP members from last fall's outing in Littleton, NH and we invite all attendees to bring up to 12 images to show at the gathering.
If you want to consider staying in Pinkham House send me an email and we will find a time to talk. *)(*&^&*****jdeasy@comcast.net****++()(
Pinkham House is FULL. If you are planning to come to the NENP weekend in Gorham please book a motel room at the Top Notch Motel or other motel in Gorham. Remember if you stay at the Top Notch the meet & greet Friday night, and the gathering on Saturday night will be at Pinkham House which is attached to the Top Notch Motel.
Drove up through Pinkham Notch today, and I think we are in for a real treat during the photo workshop. The red trillium are in bloom in the lower areas, but have a few days yet to go in the notch itself. No painted trilliums yet, and the hobblebush is in various states, none yet in bloom. This is good, as everything should be erupting over the next week, and ready for us in a mere week and a half!!!
Oh, and above 2500 feet, about 2 feet of snow. This should keep the waterfalls ripping while were in the area!
More good news about the weekend. Two of the three important NFS seasonal roads that allow access to more remote and spectacular areas around Gorham are already open, according to their website.
Carol and I are looking forward to the trip. We live in NH and will be up there on the early side, so I wanted to know if anyone else will be in the area and perhaps share cell #'s so we can contact each other or meet somewhere. Jim D said we can meet in Gorham at the Pinkham house in the evening, but perhaps we can do some shooting before then. In addition, we'd like to see what Jim S. has in mind for places to see moose around dusk.
Murphy's law has already been in effect since my 100-400 lens has broken this week and will be out for repair for 3 weeks, but fortunately wildflowers don't require that lens - moose do, though! Still looking forward to an opportunity to be creative!
I have a meeting in Kingston at 9AM friday, and thereafter will be driving 16 north, likely stopping at a stream in Tamworth and and perhaps a waterfall on the kank as well. If you are driving up Rt. 16 as well, perhaps we can meet up. Otherwise I should be in Gorham by 3 to 4 ish if all goes well...
The road is still closed on my go to moose spot, but I know we can find some somewhere...they've been VERY active for the past two weeks...
A few thought's about the schedule for this weekend's NENP Outing. . .
Friday - I plan to arrive Friday afternoon and get checked in to Pinkham House. I expect to be there somewhere between 3 PM and 6 PM and the exact time will depend on how much work I get done between today and Friday!
We will use Pinkham house as a common for people to drop by and talk. Friday night when you arrive drop by and say hello, or if you are new to the NENP group then introduce yourself. There is a refridgerator in Pinkham house so if you wish to bring along a recreational beverage and put in there to chill it you will be welcome to do that. Certainly we can sit around Pinkham house during the weekend when we are not out shooting.
Saturday morning we will be out early and we will have an exact meeting time aavailible Friday night at Pinkham house. If you are not going to be in Gorham Friday night then send me a message and I will get word to you on Friday on how t meet up with the group.
Saturday - We will spend the bulk of the day out shooting. I will bring the radios again so we can pass along important info when we are driving.
Saturday night - We will have our formal get together at a time to be determinded ( probably about 8 PM). If you wish to show us some of your photo's then bring them to me on Friday night so I can have a shot at getting them set up for the Saturday evening meeting. Please see the post "NENP Sprint outing slide show" for info on preparing you images.
Sunday - We will again be out shooting early in the morning before everyone heads home.
Hi! I had hoped to come along for the shoots but I'm just not sure how my chemo treatment side effects are going to be by then. So far, I only am constantly fatigued and have joint pains. And if it's only that, maybe I can come on Friday and meet some of you at the Pinkham House. I wouldn't be up for any major hikes but roadside type wildflower trips would be fun. Probably Sunday as it's supposed to rain on Saturday...boo! I hope this works out for me and I get to meet most of you. Sunday will probably be a great day for waterfall shots!!!
You are more than welcome to join us anytime during the weekend. I sent you my cell phone number so you can check on where we are and what we are doing if that helps. I hope we will have the opportunity to meet you sometime during the weekend.
Jim Deasy,
I'd like to take full advantage of the light and hopefully see moose around dusk, but we'll be starving after dark - any thoughts of meeting for dinner as a group like we did at the fall meeting? Sounded like there was a place next door to the hotel.
Discussion
20 repliesThe subject matter that we will focus on will be wildflowers, waterfalls, landscapes, and just maybe an early morning Moose hunt. I will research the motels and let everyone know the recommended location as soon as possible.
We have selected this weekend based on trying to get the best opportunity for both wildflowers and water in the streams. It looks like a late spring given that the white mountain area is still somw covers and looking at more in the next couple of days! The landscapes and the other stuff is usually there all year round with a different looks.
** Remember ** when the Lupines bloom in June we can do an informal day, weekend, or whatever to time it for the best bloom. They are likely to need much more of a last minute decision than what we are looking at the weekend of May 18-20.
I know the area VERY well, and assuming that Gorham works out, I know of half a dozen waterfalls within a 15 minute drive, and 15 minute walks, some popular, some not so much. Trilliums should be PRIME, and the way things are going, hobblebush may still be lighting up the understory. Other wildflowers should be popping good as well.
And as long as two forest service roads are open by then, I have a great evening moose pond and a great sunrise overlook location...
I will be camping during the weekend, and anyone is welcome to join me with that. It will either be Dolly Copp NFS campground, or Moose Brook State Park.
Richard, what part of Colorado are you in? I'll be in Estes untill the 8th. Meeting a friend in Arches NP on the 4/30 with plans to shoot in RMNP as well. If you're anywhere close by we'll hook up for a beer.
Below is a list of motels in Gorham, NH. I have personally stayed at the top Notch and the Gorham Motor Inn. The Top Notch was fine and the Gorham Motor Inn reminds me of the place we stayed at last fall in Littleton. I expect that the nicest places in town are the Top Notch, the Royalty Inn, and the Moose Brook Motel. I will be talking to these places Mon / Tues and will post my impressions then. I wanted to get this up so people could start planning. By the way I have been told that the Mt Madison Motel is right along a train track and there is a 3 AM or so freight Train that blows a whistle every night. That info is a couple of years old so I don't know if it is still accurate. Here is the list:
Gorham, NH
Royalty Inn $ 60.00 - 70.00 / Night
603 466-3315 www.royaltyinn.com
Moose Brook Motel $ 49.00 - 79.00 / Night
(603) 466-5400 http://www.moosebrookmotel.com/
Top Notch Inn $ 50.00 - 80.00 / Night
800-228-5496 http://www.topnotchinn.com
Gorham Motor Inn $ 45.00 - 75.00 / night
603-466-3381 http://www.gorhammotorinn.net
Mount Madison Motel $ 45.00 - 75.00 / night
603-466-3622 http://www.mtmadisonmotel.com
Northern Peaks Motor Inn $?? - ??
800-807-5902 http://www.northernpeaksmotorinn.com/
Town & Country Motel - Full for this weekend
Randolph, NH ( just west of Gorham on Rt 2)
Grand View Lodge & Cabins $ 68.00 - 74.00 / night for 2 people
603-466-5715 http://www.grandviewlodgeandcabins.com
Jefferson Notch Motel & Cabins $ 68.00 - 90.00 / night
603-466-3833 http://www.jeffnotchmotel-cabins.com
Pinkham Notch
Appalachian Mt Club -
Joe Dodge Lodge $ 43.00 – 60.00 AMC Reservations at 603-466-2727
http://www.outdoors.org/lodging/lodges/pnvc/index.cfm
Won't be able to make the outing. Have a good time. Let me know about the lupines in May.
Its not to early to thinl fall.
John
-Would be great to have a place with a continental breakfast so we can get right out and take early pics, and it's easiest if we try to stay at (or near) the same place.
-I like the idea of the "evening moose pond" if it's open for the season - we didn't get to see any on the last trip!
Pat
Nick
The purpose of the Coverts organization is to encourage and effect the maintenance, enhancement and/or creation of wildlife habitat on private forest lands in Vermont.
So I am looking forward to that and hopefully can meet up with all you another time.
Bill
.
Several of us have booked rooms at the Top Notch Inn in Gorham. Jim Deasy will be booking the Pinkham House (part of the Top Notch Inn complex) which is a restored farmhouse that has three private rooms, a good rate, and a livingroom to be used for slideshows in the evening. There is room for up to 8 people to stay in the house, though three to five is ideal. Before booking, you may want to get in touch with Jim to see if there is room in the Pinkham House as it will be very convenient to have the group close together to leave at the same time in the mornings. I'm guessing there is plenty of room right now.
There is a restaurant next door to the Inn for dinner and a Dunkin Donuts right down the road. Though there is no continental breakfast, perhaps we could pitch in and someone could make a run to DD's and bring back a big jug of coffee to the house in the morning for an early start! (Morning coffee is always my first thought when planning things!)
If you do call up for a room, please ask for the "discounted rate" that Sally set up for the photography group. It gets you a AAA rate, so you can't get any more of a discount, but the people were nice, the rates were good, and they renovate several rooms every year to keep the place in good shape. Sounded good. They are on winter hours for the next couple weeks and will open the week before our trip. The winter phone # is 603-383-6747. (You may have to leave a message, but they were good about returning calls).
By getting 5 people in Pinkham House we have a room for the gathering at no cost additional cost.
Eithr way since the Top Notch Inn and Pinkham house are at the same location we will have a place to hang out Friday night as people arrive, and maybe we can do out slide show and have some recreational beverages Saturday night for our get together. I will show the slide show that was made form the images of the participating NENP members from last fall's outing in Littleton, NH and we invite all attendees to bring up to 12 images to show at the gathering.
If you want to consider staying in Pinkham House send me an email and we will find a time to talk. *)(*&^&*****jdeasy@comcast.net****++()(
Thanks
Oh, and above 2500 feet, about 2 feet of snow. This should keep the waterfalls ripping while were in the area!
http://www.fs.fed.us/r9/forests/white_mountain/recreation/roads_status.php
The three of critical use near Gorham are:
Dolly Copp Road (Pinkham B)
Evans Notch Rt. 113
Wild River Road
Murphy's law has already been in effect since my 100-400 lens has broken this week and will be out for repair for 3 weeks, but fortunately wildflowers don't require that lens - moose do, though! Still looking forward to an opportunity to be creative!
I have a meeting in Kingston at 9AM friday, and thereafter will be driving 16 north, likely stopping at a stream in Tamworth and and perhaps a waterfall on the kank as well. If you are driving up Rt. 16 as well, perhaps we can meet up. Otherwise I should be in Gorham by 3 to 4 ish if all goes well...
The road is still closed on my go to moose spot, but I know we can find some somewhere...they've been VERY active for the past two weeks...
Pat, I'll email you my cell...
Friday - I plan to arrive Friday afternoon and get checked in to Pinkham House. I expect to be there somewhere between 3 PM and 6 PM and the exact time will depend on how much work I get done between today and Friday!
We will use Pinkham house as a common for people to drop by and talk. Friday night when you arrive drop by and say hello, or if you are new to the NENP group then introduce yourself. There is a refridgerator in Pinkham house so if you wish to bring along a recreational beverage and put in there to chill it you will be welcome to do that. Certainly we can sit around Pinkham house during the weekend when we are not out shooting.
Saturday morning we will be out early and we will have an exact meeting time aavailible Friday night at Pinkham house. If you are not going to be in Gorham Friday night then send me a message and I will get word to you on Friday on how t meet up with the group.
Saturday - We will spend the bulk of the day out shooting. I will bring the radios again so we can pass along important info when we are driving.
Saturday night - We will have our formal get together at a time to be determinded ( probably about 8 PM). If you wish to show us some of your photo's then bring them to me on Friday night so I can have a shot at getting them set up for the Saturday evening meeting. Please see the post "NENP Sprint outing slide show" for info on preparing you images.
Sunday - We will again be out shooting early in the morning before everyone heads home.
You are more than welcome to join us anytime during the weekend. I sent you my cell phone number so you can check on where we are and what we are doing if that helps. I hope we will have the opportunity to meet you sometime during the weekend.
I'd like to take full advantage of the light and hopefully see moose around dusk, but we'll be starving after dark - any thoughts of meeting for dinner as a group like we did at the fall meeting? Sounded like there was a place next door to the hotel.
Looking forward to meeting everyone.