Dates: June 2 – 5
As I approach the third month of my great Wildflower adventure with Spacious Skies, I have come to a great revelation – I am severely, pathetically and genuinely back-in-my-camper challenged. Only once during this trip was I able to back in without help, however it was in Arkansas, off season, mid-week, a very flat and empty campground, took me almost 30 minutes and I added a few more gray hairs.
At my previous stop at Spacious Skies Minute Man, I asked for help and staff was on-hand to do just this. Probably a safety measure to protect trees, electric and water outlets and kids on bicycles. Hmmmm, maybe I am not the only one! The very nice guy expertly guided me into a narrow site with trees and a picnic table on both sides within a few feet of the vehicles, up on a hill with an almost perpendicular curve from the road! It was a nightmare. He did an amazing job, but I am sure left wondering what planet I come from. Well, Texas is almost another country.
When I arrived at Seven Maples, the manager greeted me and gladly changed my site to a pull thru. I love these people at Spacious Skies. This was not the first time I have changed sites after I arrived when I decided it was too challenging. This is probably the best advantage of a private campground vs a state or national park. At Spacious Skies, the staff are very personable and feel like family by the time I leave.
Seven Maples is a beautiful campground, and the back-in sites are awesome with lots of space between campsites and shady trees. Even my pull-thru site was treelined on one side. Located near a lake, kayaking is popular, and the launch dock is a short walk down the trail. Tall reeds and waterlilies guide the kayak to the Nubanusit Lake, serenaded by bullfrogs. This campground is the perfect place to stay all summer season, and many do.
The location is just an hour from Boston if going to a museum or the sites is on your agenda, but there is a lot to do near the campground just a few minutes away. The nearby town of Hancock, population 1,354 as of 2020, is as far as I got exploring. Incorporated in 1779, this well-cared for quaint village is a secret gem in New Hampshire.
If you like goat cheese, there is the Main Street Cheese Farm located on, well, Main Street. The Hancock Market has just about everything you need, and a true farm-to-table experience. A deli and meat section has a butcher that can tell you which farm the meat is from, and the dairy section is full of local products. The wine selection is mainly New Hampshire wines. Next door is the Fiddlehead Café where everyone who is anyone is seen enjoying their neighbor’s farm’s produce. A pleasant wrap-around porch was a wonderful spot to catch a cool breeze on this hot day and watch the town movements. Across the street is a classic brick library and the Hancock Inn & Fox Tavern that was built in 1789 – the oldest inn in NH. Closed for renovations, it is expected to reopen this fall.
One day, just a few miles out of Hancock’s city limits I found the Willard Pond Wildlife Sanctuary, a New Hampshire Audubon property. Standing on the pristine shore surrounded by a forest of many spring greens growing out of boulders the size of cars. I was sure I had discovered the real Walden Pond. At that moment, I would have given away my car for a kayak. Instead, I hiked one of the trails that followed the pond’s shoreline, almost stepping on a cluster of endangered pink lady slippers and wild azalea bushes beginning to drop their orange/pink flowers.
Drive to the other side of Hancock to the Powder Mill Pond and you will pass through the Greenfield covered bridge. Make a right towards the pond and find yet another amazing place to launch a kayak and float slowly under the bridge.
Another little secret in Hancock was Sarah’s Hat Boxes, a third-generation family business of artisans that create specialty hat boxes, all handcrafted and covered with beautiful fabric. What started as a side business during hard times now sends boxes all over the world. Large corporations such as Disney, Jif, Kohls, Vogue, Revlon and many more buy these hat boxes by the hundreds. One day, Oprah Winfrey walked in the door and bought one. The showroom in front of the factory is full of colorful boxes of all sizes wrapped in high quality fabric, but always the same shape. The original concept is to store hats, but people are using them for many different reasons – from holding important heirlooms or to wrap a Christmas present or even to bury a loved pet. They are beautiful and of course, I bought two.
I was too early for Hancock’s summer season activities which according to a leaflet includes live music concerts, farmer’s market and garden shows. The town is known for its love of music and the arts, and is near the internationally recognized MacDowell Art institution.
Spacious Skies Seven Maples is a wonderful place to bring your RV, stay for a while, rejuvenate your soul on a pristine pond and enjoy the countryside and inner beauty of New Hampshire.
Tip: Many seasonal RVers spend the whole summer at Seven Maples, so get your reservations early.
Ann Bush
FB group: green gypsy travel
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