Smugg's Ski Dating, Nordic Style; The Nordic Center at Smuggler's Notch Resort, Jeffersonville, VT

The Nordic Center at Smuggler's Notch Resort

Vermont Route 108 South

Jeffersonville, VT

You have read about my DadBreaks from Naggs Head boogie boarding to a little beach volleyball at Kimballs' Farm in Westwood.  But I think it is fair to say we have turned a corner Houston.  First, she ASKS ME to run the Charles River 5K with her and now we are going out on dates that involve X country skiing.  AND SHE LIKED IT!

My girl is from Miami.  In my late twenties I broke it off with this hottie 'cause she couldn't imagine skiing with me.  I was fresh off the west coast, what did I know people?  I turned in my skis for the Met, lunch at Bouley Bakery and a lot of long walks through lower Manhattan and fell in love with her anyway.  But secretly I knew that with a little patience I could bring her over to the dark side.  

Ten years later she smiled a little a mile into a ski at Weston.  I blamed it on the sun.  I thought it might have reminded her of the beach.  But today it was cloudy, snowy and ten degrees and she was STILL smiling.  Maybe it was the spectacular views, the stunning snow conditions?  It certainly wasn't teaching her to duck walk up steep green trails.  Well check her out heading downhill here on YouTube.  A natural skier.  What snowy icing on the proverbial wedding cake. 

Smugg's Ski Break? Bouncy House? The Fun Zone; Smuggler's Notch Resort, Jeffersonville, VT

The Fun Zone Family Entertainment Center

Vermont Route 108 South

Jeffersonville, VT

When the weather outside is frightful and we've already played in the snow, our family loves a good indoor play space.  The boys adore them so much, they are having a joint birthday at Playtown Express, the mother of all indoor spaces.  With a great mountain, ski school and pool what else could you possibly want here at Smuggler's?  How 'bout a space to rival the best of them.

This place was stocked.  It had your standard super inflated slide and bouncy houses of every shape and size.  There were two, yeah two, kinds of mini-golf.  I had never even seen billiards mini-golf.  Don't ask me to explain it.  We skipped the arcade, and still spent two hours Apres Ski running like madmen with not a mention of the crazy pool complex from the day before.  Hey Smugg's, you're just rubbin' it in the face of the competition. 

Smugg's U; Snow Sport University, Smuggler's Notch; Jeffersonville, VT

Snow Sport University

Smuggler's Notch Resort

Vermont Route 108 South 

Jeffersonville, VT 

I've spent almost thirty years in schools as a student, teacher and now principal.  But the best school I ever attended was ski school.  On my week-long forays to Colorado with my dad, I got mornings with kids my age learning the mountain and moves, and afternoons with dad showing off.  I loved Steamboat's Ski School.  One year, my instructor (who was on telemark skis) broke a binding.  Did he blink?  No.  He hit the moguls with one tele ski all the way down.  I still aspire to his greatness.

It was hard to give up time with the boys and send them to ski school.  I can teach them a lot of things, but I remembered how fun ski school was, so we gave it a shot.  Smugg's Snow Sport University is serious business.   We dropped Lij at Treasures for their Little Rascals program. The wonderful staff there let him play hard inside and hit the slopes hard on the outside.  He ran in there without so much as a "goodbye" on day two.  He came back today jabbering about pizza slices and french fries, and he wasn't talkin' lunch.  Not bad for still two.

Sydney spent the day at their Discovery Dynamos and I couldn't get him out of there.  I thought I'd check-in at lunch and see if he wanted to ski with his old man for a bit.  "I'm going back out dad!" he swatted in passing as I sat and waited for him like the goofy kid on prom night.  His teacher kindly referred to him as "my assistant instructor."  Four times up the lift, and not a frown in sight.  I don't know what magic pudding they feed 'em at lunch here at Smugg's, but it sure does work.

Smugg's Downhill; Smuggler's Notch Resort, Jeffersonville, VT

Smuggler's Notch the Mountain

Vermont Route 108 

South Jeffersonville, VT 

I am a ski snob.  There, I admit it.  Every winter my dad "dragged" me out to Colorado for the Winter Conference on Brain Research (check them out those  nueroscientists singing  on YouTube, really!)  This may not sound sexy to you, but for me it was a week off school every year at Aspen, Vail, Keystone and my all time fav Steamboat Springs.  I was so inspired by the runs, the hot tubs and (as I got older in the 80's), those hot pink ski pants that I vowed never to ski east again, and moved out there the minute I graduated college.

Given the impact that fuel costs have on flights from Beantown to the Rockies, we decided to go local this weekend.  I had never been to the Northern Kingdom of Vermont, and Foodie Mommy rec'd Smugg's from a summer post.  Sydney and I started our day at  Sir Henry's Learning and Fun Park when the magic carpet opened.   We took our chances on Mogul Mouse's Magic Lift and followed under it on Magic Learning Trail which was a perfect last run for him to get him ready for his first big day of ski school tomorrow.   Lij hit the magic carpet a few times too, wheeeing all the way home.

But it was my afternoon DadBreak (thanks babe for getting this blog weekend comped and then letting me ski, you rock!), that lead me to Madonna.  I found her on my sweet, new Smugg's App for my iphone.  This lovely lady of a lift gave me access to some of the best double blacks in the east.  The pitch was perfect, the bumps in great shape and there was actually snow covering most of them (sorry Killington, but your sheer ice excuse for moguls almost killed me in college).  Four tough runs later and we hit the hot tub at our majestic two bedroom condo suite.  How suite it is, this MLK weekend!

Blastown! Funtown/Splashtown USA, Scarborough, ME

Funtown/Splashtown USA

774 Portland Road

Saco, ME

To start off our Road Trip 2010 this summer we hit an ole standby (ok, we've been twice, but it's far!); Storyland.  To end our Road Trip, we hit up their main competitors in the NE, and it was close.  Storyland beats out both Funtown and York's Wild Kingdom for kid rides, and their super cool story themes.  But like York, Funtown is a two-fer.  You may get fuzzie-wuzzies at York, but you get crazy splashin' on the par of Water Country at Splashtown.  But, each of these spots was a little easier to swallow at the admissions counter with our friend the Breathe New Hampshire Fun Pass.  (Sydney got in free and it had already paid for itself our first trip to Storyland). 

We got prepped by hitting our hotel pool at 7AM, then headed off to Foodie Mommy's rec for breakfast; The Standard Baking Company.  That lady knows her prosciutto and cheese croissants.  She also seems to know her sticky buns and pain au chocolat too.  Anyway, I digress.  It was clear Lij wasn't feeling great, but we had been talking this place up to Sydney for weeks.  He and I hit the bumper cars and the Thunder Falls Log Flume.  Things were heating up.  We tried to get him on a couple of roller coasters, too short.  So, he wants to go to Casino.  Now, I'm not talking Foxwoods, this ride spins you up, down, around and then hits reverse.  The last time I was on one of these was at Canobie Lake in middle school, let's just say that time I made it to the bathroom.

Lij and Kam joined us for some great kiddie rides, especially the swings.  Then we hit Splashtown.  I thought Sydney might be more ready for the Portland Pirates Paradise, but it was a bit too shocking.  He opted for the tubes with mommy on Liquid Lightening.  Lij and I hung in the Family Fun Lagoon, but he was fading fast.  We grabbed a quick bite, got Sydney one more ride on Liquid and hit the road.  Oh, we'll be back!

A Half Moon Memory; Crescent Beach State Park, Cape Elizabeth, ME

Crescent Beach State Park

Bowery Beach Road

Cape Elizabeth, ME

It has been over fifteen years since I combed Crescent Beach; a year out of college and temporarily east for another summer in Maine before I moved back out west.  Crescent is still one of my favs. While Portland has changed from a sleepy port town to a tourist mecca, Cape Elizabeth is still that tony suburb by the bay with miles of farms and prime oceanfront property.  Crescent changes only with geological time.  It is still a hop-skip and a jump from Two Lights, another fav state park amongst the many gems of our northern neighbors.  It is still that perfect mix of sand and rock, refreshing tide and fresh water feeders.  It is an explorers' dream.

We camped out right next to a feeder stream, winding down to the beach.  After sailing down our boats and constructing a few dams, we headed off for a walk.  Like many Maine beaches, Crescent is home to a stunning rocky outcrop, full of tide pools.  We discovered an old lobster pot, and what looked like a vertebrae of some large sea creature.  Sydney tossed old periwinkle shells off the rocks, followed by Lij.

We spent the better part of the afternoon building sandcastles and avoiding the creeping tide.  Thankfully, after a day of sun and surf, Kettle Cove Creamery and Cafe was right on our way back to the pool at our hotel.  We hit the Portland Lobster Company for dinner, which was more fun for good daddy/mommy drinks and views than it was for kids or serious lobster eaters.  All and all, a beautiful day at the beach.

Wild Rides, Wild Beasts: York's Wild Kingdom, York, ME

York's Wild Kingdom

Route 1

York, ME

Ahhh Maine in the summer.  Picturesque rocky shore lines.  Pristine mountain lakes feeding into Poland Springs.  Beautiful white tigers. Tigers?  Wait, you mean lobsters?  Scallops?  Puffins?  No, lions, tigers, bears, ya know.  York's Wild Kingdom was like a beer run across state lines.  Not sure you actually went there to save the money, but it sure was fun to be in Maine.

We started off the day in the Wild Kingdom of Animals.  Marlin Perkins would have been proud.  There were cassowaries and sloths, lemurs and servals.  While the pens were small, and the service a bit dated, there were plenty of wild friends to meet.  We pet at least forty goats and a few deer.  We hung out at the elephant show and actually got to feed her (she had just finished painting a landscape - animal cruelty no doubt!). Our pachyderm friend was almost as old as my parents. 

After lunch we hit Wild Kingdom amusements.  The rides were perfect.  Sydney hit the giant slide a few times, while the young ones flew around on planes (with gunner positions, thank goodness).  The highlight though was the bumper mobiles.  Sydney loved the big kid bumper cars, driving for real for the first time in his life.  Lij and cousin Sky hit the bumper boats (let's just say driving was less crucial here).  After four and half hours we were so toasted that we skipped the clam shack on the way home.  It never really felt like Maine, but it was sure worth the trip.

America's Oldest Amusement; Mount Washington, Pinkham Notch, NH

Mount Washington

Pinkham Notch, NH

I just hit the dadventure vortex today, on Father's Day of all days.  Today, my own memories of my first dadventures have begun to overlap with Sydney's.  When I was Sydney's age, my dad and I tackled the Whites.  Yeah, he took a five year old through three days of alpine cabins, ending with a night on Mount Washington at Lake of the Clouds.  The question is, do I enter the Matrix or do I begin to craft a map of dadventures of my own?

Like any good Choose Your Own Adventure book from the series (someone has got to bring back these rockin' texts) we did a little of both at every turn.  We stayed at the Joe Dodge Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC) cabin in Pinkham Notch, just like I did back in '77.  We got in a short hike on the Old Jackson Road and then threw the orange shoebox into First gear up the Auto Road.   After throwing on our "This Car Climbed Mount Washington" sticker, we ran around in 40 degree weather with our winter coats as a break from the summer heat below.

Where our paths divided was my next choice.  I always got the impression that the hike up earned the cruise down as a kid.  We opted for the gondola up Wildcat ski mountain.  The views were spectacular, my kids were happy and my wife even smiled as we screamed up the slopes.  The panoramic views of Tuckerman's Ravine made me dream for another day.  But instead of feeling like a pansy for opting out with a two and four year old, I recommitted to tearing down that slope with them in another fifteen years on our teles.  An inspiring Father's Day indeed.

Guest Blog: Author Kim Foley MacKinnon: Meadow Stone Farm, Brooklyn, CT

Guest Blog: Author Kim Foley MacKinnon

Boston Baby: A Field Guide for Urban Parents

Meadow Stone Farm

Brooklyn, CT

We are delighted to be joined by author Kim Foley MacKinnon.  The generous folks at Union Park Press were nice enough to send us an advance copy of her new book.  It is a wonderful addition to our dadventure library.  Please check it out.

Spring fever is upon us and, despite the horrible rain and the up and down weather, it can’t be stopped, not after a taste of a couple of days reaching almost 70 degrees and the time change giving us more daylight. So, as soon as possible, I start planning outdoor adventures for my family.

We have explored so much of New England, and I never pick favorites, but I will admit to being utterly charmed by the “Quiet Corner” of Connecticut, the northeastern section of the state framed by Massachusetts and Rhode Island, which is just an hour from Boston.

 

I’ve been thinking of a return visit this year, where we can check out the baby alpacas at the Safe Haven Alpaca Farm (860-455-0054; www.safehavenalpaca.com) and visit the Creamery Brook Bison Farm in Brooklyn (860-779-0837; www.creamerybrookbison.com). It is home to more than 100 bison and you can take a wagon ride and toss grain to huge beasts. A cooler in the back of the car is a must because besides stocking up on bison steaks, you can get fresh goat cheese at the nearby Meadow Stone Farm (860-617-2982; www.meadowstonefarm.com). And make sure to ask to visit with the adorable baby goats. If you decide to make an overnight of it, the Inn at Tonmar in Pomfet is a perfect base. The B&B has just two cozy rooms for visitors (and welcomes kids!) and is owned by Martha and Tony Emilio (860-974-1583), who make everyone feel like family.

The last time we went, it was hard to tear my daughter away from all the animals we encountered at these real working farms. I was glad she got to see where at least some types of food come from, which can be tricky to teach to an urban kid. And it is amazing to me that such a bucolic setting is so close to Boston, completely easy to visit do in a day trip. So next time your little one is singing ee-i-ee-i-o, get in the car and head for some quiet time.

Guest Blog: The Hills are Alive: The Trappe Family Lodge, Stowe, VT

"The Hills are Alive" with the Doron-Czerniach family, not to be confused with the von Trappe family who founded the resort after fighting off the Nazis as memorialized in the Sound of Music.

Guest blogger Shira Doron reports from the hills of Vermont at the:

Trapp Family Lodge
700 Trapp Hill Road
Stowe, VT

If you live in New England, and you want a vacation that doesn't involve flying, you will have to resign yourself to the fact that it won't be a warm one. And as long as it's going to be cold, you may as well EMBRACE the cold and go somewhere where snow is revered as an implement of fun and an item of beauty, rather than an commuter's impediment. We chose the Trapp Family Lodge. Considered a "small luxury hotel" you will probably experience some pain in your wallet

The food is expensive (breakfast buffet for a family of four will run you $70 and dinner is well over $200) and so are most of the activities, like snow-shoeing, cross-country skiing and sleigh rides. Nevertheless, you can't help but be impressed with the vast wooded property all coated with white and not a dirty Boston snowbank in sight (see the view from our hotel room that had a door opening right out onto the snow). There are 100 kilometers of trails including a 3-mile hike to a cabin where you can have lunch and warm up (too far for my little ones). There is no shortage of fire places (see photo) to cuddle in front of, and a card and game room features great board games like Harry Potter Clue. Kids' activities (no parents allowed- yay!) include animal shows, jewelry making, and movie matinees. On New Years' eve we dropped the kids off for a kids-only party (miraculously free of charge) where they were given pizza and chicken fingers and had the option to use the rock wall, play ping pong, and/or go swimming (my kids swam for two hours, obligating one of the counselors to hold my 3-year-old non-swimmer in the water the entire time- man, was she pruny!)



The Stowe Mountain resort is 10 miles away. Available programs for kids include a 2-hour "Three Ski" class for 3-year-olds and either a two-hour (for beginners only) or all-day school for kids ages 4 and up."

Guest Blogger: Foodie Mommy: Come Talk to the Animals: The Roger Williams Zoo, Providence, RI

Guest Blogger: Foodie Mommy
Come Talk to the Animals: The Roger Williams Zoo
1000 Elmwood Avenue
Providence, RI

Reasons to venture:

• You have got to see a giant anteater to believe it.
• How often can you see elephants right in front of you?
• They have the coolest tortises, ever.
• Note-avoid 95 degree days!

Check out Foodie Mommie's other dadventures

Why Maine Rocks: Acadia National Park, Mt. Desert Island, ME

Acadia National Park
Mt. Desert Island, ME

Reasons to venture:

• The sunrise at Cadillac Mountain is the first in the US, as you can see above we didn't quite make it in time.
• Lij's first real hike at Jordan Pond with a killer salad overlooking the lake and the mountains to follow.
• The Seawall is the best tide pool "jungle gym" in the east, the campground is pretty sweet too.
  
• Sydney got to hold the reigns on Mr. Rockefeller's carriage rides at Wildwood stables, horses are so cool and so was Mr. Mike.

30 seconds or less, top five national parks...

North of the Border: Water Country, Portsmouth, NH

Water Country
1111 Route 1
Portsmouth, NH

Reasons to venture:

• Giant Wave Pool is right next to the kiddie pool, so big boys surf, while munchkin kicks it with mommy.
  
• Double Geronimo makes for a great mid-day DadBreak.
• End the day on Thunder Falls, as close as we're gonna get to Class II rapids at age three.

Where do you head when Boston gets too sticky?

Who needs Disney: Storyland, North Conway, NH

 
Story Land
3073 White Mountain Hwy,
N. Conway, NH

Happy Father's day weekend all of you dadventurers out there.  I am curious to hear how you spent your big weekend.  Me?  Story Land of course.  That's right, we went the safe and secure route by hoping in the car and heading north on a beautiful June day, just 48 hours after the Lakers won it all.  Why Story Land you ask?  Two reasons; much needed fun and Mt. Washington (i'll get to that one in tomorrow's post).  I decided I needed to enlist in a seven step program.

How to recover from the game 7 Celts blues? Hop on the Bamboo Chutes log flume with your kiddo. First, take a little cold water and splash repeatedly in your face while your son screams in delight (click here for live action on YouTube).  Step two?  Get on a Polar coaster.  Sure, it's made for midgets, but who can argue with the hairpin turns of our friend Wally to scare you back to the simple things.  step three?  Let your older son drive a motorized swan around while you backseat drive to restore a little calm and order to your perspective on things.

 

Ok, step four.  Make sure you and the little one ride the Story Land Queen; a giant swan boat, while wifey and the big kid attack you from a pirate ship of twenty screaming kids.  Fear of the lord has almost returned.  Step five?  Watch the little one slowly sink down into a ball pit, resurface, jump back in and repeat.   This is a reminder of how you should be spending your time.  Step six?  Pick up sticks (you can even climb in the buckle my shoes). That's right, they got the whole Mother Goose thing going on.  If there aren't a few moral lessons in the Three Little Pigs (gluttony), The Three Billie Goats Gruff (control) and Peter, Peter, Pumpkineater (jealousy), I don't know what does.  Step seven, let the boys circle the place in the train one last time and watch as they finally crash on your lap at 4pm.  For a million dollars less than Disney, no plane and a scenic drive, you cant beat the heat (or the Lakers) anywhere better than Story Land.