With the AT completed, I decided to start chipping away at other New England "bucket list" items. One of them involved paddling some of the Connecticut Lakes and checking out some of the other interesting areas of Coös (“co-os”) County. The Appalachian Trail enters NH’s "North Country" at US-302 (Crawford Notch). While passing through, it crosses the Presidentials, Wildcats, Carters and Mahoosuc Traverse (to Carlo Cob). When someone refers to “The White Mountains”, this county is the place they mean. After getting up at 0530, packing and making a reservation at Lake Francis State Park, I loaded up my kayak and headed north (0810). I used I-91 and got off at US-5 in Lyndonville, where I took a break at McDonalds. I then continued north on US-5 until I reached VT-114. It was foggy nearly everywhere I went and, unfortunately, I couldn't see Burke Mountain (I believe this was the first time I've been in the area since 1988). Continuing north to Norton, VT-114 started to parallel the Canadian border as it turned east. Passed several 45th Parallel North signs, which reminded me that I'd been to the southern equivalent just a few months before... My first target was the 2023 North Country Moose Festival a two day event that showcases the best of the northeast corner of the Northeast Kingdom. It has a NH venue (Colebrook) on Friday and a VT venue (Canaan) on Saturday. I drove to the latter location this morning and arrived at Canaan Rec Park just after the gates opened (1015). After paying a minimal fee to enter, I was immediately able to enjoy several fun activities: sampling/judging 10 maple syrups; watching axe/saw wielding ladies from Maine; wandering through the craft/farmer’s market; cheering on moose call contestants (the winner was some joker who cried "here, moosie, moosie, moosie"); anticipating the outcome (pun intended) at the “cow plop bingo”; and gawking at sharp-looking classic vehicles. Along the way, I wandered through the vendor tent area (got business cards for the girls to check on soaps and other crafts). Despite carrying a lot of it in the car, I ended up needing to buy a bottle of water (due to the heat). It was generally cloudy, with just a bit of rain. Taking a break from the main activities, I did some walking around the track and ate lunch at a Panini stand (root beer, Italian sandwich). Overall, an enjoyable local festival! Also, with the border of Canada less than two miles away, there was a bit of an international flavor. Finished at 1315, I left Canaan and used VT-102 to drive south to Bridge Street (NH-26). I crossed the Connecticut River to Colebrook and stopped at Coos Brewery (1330). After taking a look at the ample choices of beers, I sampled Woodland Wit, Zephyr Kolsch (new this week!), Beaucoup Brown, Fifth Lake, Double Rasberry Puckerbrush, Saisonade and relaxed in the dry beer hall. I was done at 1455 and got back on the road. First, I headed east on NH-26 to US-3; after that, I used NH-146 to drive to the northeast. I stopped at Beaver Brook Falls Wayside (1510) for some photos and then continued north to Pittsburg. Back on US-3, I followed western coastline of Lake Francis until reaching River Road. I thought about stopping for food at Buck Rub Pub but it was very crowded. Instead, I stopped at the State Park and checked into my campsite. At 1615, I drove to the boat launch and got my kayak off the car. Just then, it started to rain - very hard! I waited in my car (with kayak upside down on the ground) until it stopped (1645). After that, I managed to squeeze in three miles of paddling in Lake Francis. Spent my time in the “L” shaped eastern end (moving counterclockwise) because the rest was too windy. Saw lots of pretty vacation homes. Encountered loons, a bald eagle and several kinds of ducks. It was great to see the Fall colors starting! Before I was finished, I found the Connecticut River "outflow" (from upstream) - it looked too rough to paddle, though. I was finished kayaking by 1805 and then spent time taking photos with the Nikon. Hoping he hadn't moved, I went searching again for the bald eagle moving along the far shore and was able to locate him again. Unfortunately, he was too far away, by this time, for me to get good close ups. Disappointed, I drove back to campsite. For the rest of the evening, I did some reading and ate a light dinner (snacks) in the car. Before going to bed (2130), I walked across the campground to the bathroom. On the way, I encountered several police cars and policeman but I never learned what happened... After getting back to my campsite, I set my "car camp" (with mattress and sleeping bag in the folded down back seats). Went to bed at 2200 after an eventful day. Hoping I can attend the Friday installment of the Moose Festival next year!
