When I was a kid the summer vacation was a camping trip some where in the north east. The destination was usually on or near the lake or ocean. The vacation consisted of hanging out by the water and visiting the local town and attractions.
One of my favorite lakes we visited was Lake Winnipesaukee. It is the biggest lake in New Hampshire and its shores are dotted with interesting little towns, marinas, and a lot of cottages and motels to enjoy the lake from. As a kid we camped in one of the bays and I spend the days swimming and sailing in the lake. It really is a beautiful place and in some ways even more scenic than Lake George or Lake Champlain.
This year since my wife's family wasn't able to go to Cape Cod for our usually trip we decided to check out Lake Winnipesaukee since I want to see if it had changed since I had been there. This time we stayed at a hotel since I prefer not to rough it any more. The hotel we picked was on Belknap Point which overlooks the main part of the lake and is near some of the main towns. The hotel rooms are about 5 feet from the lake so when you look out your window you feel like you are on a cruise ship sailing on the lake. The hotel was built in the late 60s and it doesn't look it had be updated much since then but it was clean and comfortable so we had no complains.
The main attraction was the view. I spent half the time at the room just sitting on the balcony staring at the lake. It was just so relaxing to take in the view and watch the different boats go by. I don't meditate but if I did I imagine I would have the same peaceful feeling as I did just sitting by the lake.
Besides just relaxing we did do some sightseeing, swimming and even rented a boat for half a day to explore the lake. We were blessed with perfect weather so no matter where we went we had great views of the lake and surrounding mountains.
One of the main places we visited was Castle in the Clouds which is a mansion build on one of the hills overlooking the lake. I don't remember visiting this when I was a kid so it was all new to me. Besides the hand crafted house the grounds also contain a beautiful small water fall.
Besides swimming and sailing on the lake one of my more vivid memories of Lake Winnipesaukee is getting ice cream at Kellerhaus. They had good home made ice cream but the best part is they had a huge fixings bar that let you add fudge, caramel, marshmellow, sprinkles and a lot of other stuff. I remember getting the three scoop boat and just piling on all the toppings. Of course I also remember walking out of there feeling like my stomach was going to explode.
Luckily Kellerhaus is still there and has its ice cream fixings bar. It wasn't as big or had a many toppings as I remember(I guess it looked bigger when I was a kid) but is was still good. I got a more sensible two scoop cup and didn't overload on the toppings. The one cool thing they have in the fixing bar that I remember is the whipped cream. Not only is it rich and thick but it come out of a soda fountain like nozzle so there is an endless supply.
I'm not sure why it took me so long to get back to Lake Winnipesaukee. It was a beautiful as I remember and a good place to just relax.
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