Coos Conversations

Brewtopia

A fun night out on the town recipe:

Start with one great idea.

Add one well known venue, a few micro-brewery booths with free samples, a Budweiser booth with free samples, free giveaways, a silent auction for sports memorablilia, snacks, a radio station and a live band.

Put all ingredients together, and add about 100 (plus!!!) fun loving people.

Results?

The first ever Brewtopia. That’s right – a combination of good brew and our own personal utopia. 

I attended Brewtopia last night with two fellow co-workers of mine (Bruce & Erica).  Since I do not drink, I was there purely for the atmosphere and there was plenty of that to go around.  I watched as Bruce and Erica tasted different beers.  I watched as they made faces, both in delight and in distaste, as Erica dribbled on her shirt and as Bruce chatted up the vendors.  Bruce, I soon found out, is a straight-up-plain-beer kind of guy which surely matches his personality.  Erica on the other hand likes the fruity beers which definitely matches her personality.  As for myself, I sniffed the beers, ales and lagers that they drank and have to say that some of the fruity ones definitely smelled, well, let’s just say different.

We didn’t stay long enough to watch the band perform, but what we did see, was a lot of people having a great time.  Let’s hope that Brewtopia makes a comeback next year.  Coos County surely knows how to have fun.

Exploring Coos County Trails

Unlike other areas of the country where Spring arrives at a normal time of year, we in Coos County have had to learn patience since we can’t control the weather.  Sometimes we would like to reach into the tv and shake the weatherman until his teeth rattle and he tells us what we want to hear, but unfortunately (or fortunately for the weatherman at least) we can’t. 

We must take our aggressions out elsewhere.  So, to get those endorphins pumping, many of us head for the trail. 

Hiking in Coos County, quite simply rocks.  (We are in the "Granite State.")

We have the trails that will leave you rubbing your calves for the next few days while you limp into work and we have the kind of trails that even the average couch potato can accomplish. 

We take pride in our trails here in Coos County.  We are proud of the fact that the Appalachian Mountain Trail runs through our county.  Our local Appalachian Mountain Club has even published a new guidebook in honor of the original printing 100 years ago! 

We’re proud of the fact that we have three out of ten of the best hiking trails in the state.

We love that when visitors first come here to look at our mountains, they are stunned by their beauty. 

Where else can you go to get this perfect combination of clean air, water, wildlife and breathtaking scenery? 

Nowhere, just here. 

You have to come to Coos County to be able to experience what all of us lucky folks have right at our door steps.  We will be glad to share it with you, that’s just the kind of people that we are.

(Disclaimer: I, in no way am claiming that the trails are "mud-free" this time of year - it is what us locals refer to as "mud season"; however, we would love to see any great "MUD" photos you have.  Who knows, maybe I can finaggle a prize?! hmmmm....... Only one rule - the photo must have been or must be taken in Coos County, NH.)

Turn those tax deeded properties into jobs

The recent announcement that the city of Berlin had taken possession of 18 buildings in Berlin for back taxes presents a perfect opportunity. Berlin desperately needs bed and breakfasts and Inns for both tourists and visiting business owners. It could also use a bookstore, a few more restaurants, a coffee shop and an antique store or two. Why not target specific businesses that will help build the economy and fill the gaps that residents have identified and offer those buildings for $1 to people who will commit to building new businesses in them and putting them back on the tax rolls. Your thoughts?

Spring arrives in Coos County

This weekend was a truly glorious weekend in many ways.  The sun was shining, the birds were singing and the flowers are growing.  Spring has finally found its way to Coos County and a collective sigh of relief has been uttered from many resident's mouths.  Gone are the slush filled streets that are now filled with bicycles, skateboards, dogs happily walking with their owners and people just taking a stroll enjoying the clean mountain air that only Coos County offers.  Every spring I make it a point to drive to Pinkham Notch to sit by the bustling waters of the Peabody River and just inhale the pure clean air and the smell of clean water.  I honestly do not think that you can replicate this scent.  (If someone made a candle or an air freshener that smelled like this, I would own stocks in the company.)   As I sat on the edge of the river, perched comfortably on a boulder made of granite, I watched the ice chunks flow down from their winter home up in the mountain and slowly dissolve as they travel through the rock and boulder filled river bed.  This is nature at it's best.  The mountains that rise up so high are breathtaking this time of year.  They are slowly emerging from beneath their deep coat of snow and the extreme skiiers are hurriedly hiking to the top of Tuckerman's Ravine to only ski back down it in one of the most hair raising, thrill seeking adventures of their lives.  Coos County is truly a wonderous place to live, work and play.

Geocaching in Coos County

Recently, I learned about Geocaching.  What is that you may ask? Geocaching is a wonderful kind of “hide and seek” adventure that has been going on for quite some time now.  In effect, out in the woods and sometimes in businesses, museums, and stores a little container is concealed from what geocachers refer to as “Muggles” or people who do not geocache. (It has been explained to me that Muggles often disrupt the fun of the “adventure” by finding these caches and making off with them.)

The innovative geocacher that has hidden the little “treasure” then logs it into a website that will give GPS coordinates and a difficulty rating. In Coos County, there are over 2,500 geocaches hidden.  Berlin has 497 hidden, Groveton has 454 and Pittsburg has 573 not to mention the rest of the wonderful locations in Coos County.

The best part about geocaching, besides actually finding the cache, is the surprise that you find in the container, not to mention all the healthy exercise for you and your kids (if you decide to make it a family day!) These caches may include special "geocoins" that have instructions on them such as, “do not keep me, put me in a new location” or they can be commemorative of a holiday or special event.  They may hold rubber frogs, ducks or what are called trackables.

Geocachers also have a language of their own such as BYOP (Bring your own pen), or YAPIDKA (Yet another park I didn’t know about) that they use on their various sites.  For all of you that want to get out there and try it, I wish you many FTF(s) (First to finds) and very few DNF(s) (Did not finds). 

So get out there people and find some treasures!

Thanks for reading!

The beauty of Coos County

One of the best qualities of Coos County is the people that live here.  The people here have a way of coming together and working for the common good of all.  We started this blog with the hope that people in the area would come forth and share what they have to offer and know about Coos County.  One such resident, after viewing this blog, offered to share his breathtaking photos.  You can see them here!  Please take a few moments to view and truly appreciate the beauty that he has found and captured in Coos County.

Special thanks to Mark Ducharme for sharing!

Another blessing...

Have you ever heard the expression, "If you don't like the weather, just wait five minutes"?  Coos County once again has proven just how we, here in the upper reaches of New Hampshire, have come to know this expression inside and out.  For many of the people throughout the United States, spring is in full bloom.  However, here in Coos County, we have been blanketed with another dose of beautiful white snow.  While many consider this a curse and an inconvenience, it is absolutely breathtaking to wake up and see the evergreen boughs bending low to the ground from the weight of the heavy snow placed upon them.  The daffodils and crocuses are in a suspended state, surrounded by snow, but still so green and holding the promise of warmer weather to come. Children cheer when they realize that the snow is perfect for snowballs, snow men and in some cases - snow rabbits.  Parents cheer when they realize that it is not enough snow to cancel school. Wildcat Mountain can now operate through the week of April 16th.  Snowmobilers can fire up their machines for a final run through the vast trails that Coos County offers.  We, here in Coos County, certainly do live in a world of extremes...,  extreme weather, extreme sports, but most importantly - extreme beauty.

My favorite photos of Coos County

I post them all to Flickr and  you can see them here:

Welcome to Coos Conversations

This is a blog about, by and for Coos County, New Hampshire. It was created after a survey of Coos County residents revealed an astonishing amount of passion and engagement around the future of the county. We see the survey as just the beginning of an ongoing conversation about the future of the county -- how it will grow, the kinds of businesses it attract, what vision its residents have for the place they call home. We want your comments, feedback and criticisms. This is a conversation, and the only rule is what we call the "living room rule." If you come into our living room we can disagree, argue, hug, and chat. But we reserve the right to throw you out if you're rude, obnoxious or dangerous. So please, give us your thoughts, your ideas, your comments -- and become an active participant in the future of Coos County.