Coos Conversations

Best idea of the month...

The idea of raffling off the opportunity to blow up the Berlin Pulp Mill stacks is brilliant. if you haven't heard, Coos County Family Health Services is selling tickets for an opportunity to be one of three people to actually hit the button that blows us one of the three remaining smoke stacks that have dominated the Berlin skyline for decades.Now that is $5 well spent. And thanks to North American Dismantling for making it possible.

Berlin's Extreme Makeover Moment should be Celebrated

We were excited to learn that North American Dismantling had set a date of September 15th for the historic Berlin pulp stacks to come down. And, while NAD is apparently hosting a luncheon for the city council, we think that's a totally underwhelming way to celebrate Berlin's Extreme Makeover Moment. You don't see the lucky contestant sitting down to lunch with the producers do you? The stacks dominating the skyline have for a century branded Berlin as a mill town, with all the pollution and smells that go with it. As the mill has been dismantled the new, beautiful Berlin has emerged with eyepopping views of the Presidential range, clean air and a river that sparkles. This doesn't warrant just a little lunch, this needs a full fledged coming out party. We're thrilled to hear that AVER might take a role in facilitating the public discussion about the proposed Laidlaw biomass plant. Why not use this historic day to get that conversation going?

Fall is quickly approaching….

Here in the Great North Woods of  NH we are beginning to experience the cool days of fall.  This is the time of year when we have cold (in the 30's) nights and gorgeous warm days. Summer is not done just yet.  Mother Nature is just preparing us for things to come.  One is the color changing of the leaves better known as the Fall Foliage Season.  New England shines this time of year.  The amazing transformation draws you to the outdoors to explore the beauty of fall.  This is one of the best times of year to check out God's Country as I call it. There are so many places to explore and events planned for this time of year. 

Before I continue:       [PLEASE REMEMBER TO PRACTICE: "LEAVE NO TRACE!"] (Carry in carry out always!) Thank You!

My favorite is to drive north and take in the majestic beauty along the Androscoggin River into the Thirteen Mile Woods Area north on Rte 16. Along this stretch one needs to keep their eyes wide open.  Here you will see moose, dear, bear, fox, bald eagles, the occasional Canadian Lynx and a lot more. You pretty much name it and we might just see it.  I enjoy stopping along the river just to hang out with friends and have a picnic or to fish and swim.  Fishing in this river is a load of fun. Nice Rainbow trout to catch and many other types of fish. One will also find many places to stop for a swim along the river.
We continue north into the Lake Umbagog Area.  Here there is the Lake Umbagog National Wildlife Refuge. Great place to take the kids. In this area one will find Lake Umbagog as well as The Lake Umbagog State Park and Campground.  This campground offers lakeside camping, three cabins as well as campsites accessible only by boat. 

We continue our drive to the east where you will find gorgeous and breathe taken views of the Western Maine Mt's. also known as part of Appalachian Mt. Trail System. A must stop location is the Grafton Notch State Park.  Here you are able to enjoy Mother Walker Falls, Screw Auger Falls, Moose Cave and the Moss Garden to name a few. 

There are many short hikes or day hikes to choose from.  One of the favorites is Step Falls located on Rte 26 about 7 and half miles from Bethel Me.  At this site you can take a short hike and view the cascades and the chutes. Don't forget your swimsuit so your can try the chutes.  What a blast! The kids would love.
Our ride continues into Bethel Me. at the intersection of Rte 26 and Rte 2 (we usually stop for ice cream here.) take a right on to Rte 2 going West.  You will  find the Sunday River Brew Pub. Stop in and sample their spirits.  Remember Maine has a very strong DUI enforcement so if you plan on sampling more then one or two you may want to consider one of the local hotels there and not drive. Bethel has a couple of interesting places to visit. Make sure to check out the Bethel Chamber of Commerce website. They offer more information on their website. 

We continue our adventure on Rte 2 West.  This takes us back into NH. In Shelburne don't forget to take the North Rd.  Off the beaten path (dirt roads on the left side of North Rd) are some of the most amazing panoramic views. Plus you can enjoy short or long hikes in this area to waterfalls and there are wild raspberries and black berry spots for your picking.

Remember to Leave No Trace. We cannot stress this point enough. This keeps the environment healthy and clean for our children and grand children to enjoy. Plus it carries a stiff fine for littering.
Our drive is almost complete as we continue on Rte 2 West which brings us to Gorham. NH. Here we pick up Rte 16 North. 

In Gorham there are many places to stay and great places to eat.  By now it's almost time for dinner and one of our favorite places is Mr. Pizza. This is a great family dining experience.  Occasionally you may even find some entertainment in the lounge. It is a good time to sit back and enjoy the river view and spend quality time with the family. 
After dining is a good time for a stroll down Main Street.  Check out the local shops. Enjoy conversations with the locals and take your children to the Gorham Common to play in the park.
The day winds down as we drive north on Rte. 16 into Berlin NH. This was our starting point of our adventure and where we call home.  It makes for a full day the children are tired and so are we.   The experience has left us all with tired limbs and full bellies. This make for great sleeping.  Please make sure to check out our local chamber of commerce for all of the latest events here in Berlin and the Great North Woods.

Have a Great Day

   

Nrthrngrl64

Thanks to Nrthrngrl64 for a wonderful guest posting today!

This is NOT the kind of PR Berlin needs

It was discouraging to read this story in the Boston Globe this morning and then to hear it repeated  on New Hampshire Public Radio. What bothered us most was the inaccuracy of the quote that portrayed 90% of Berlin as run down.
In fact, I've noticed lots of improvements in neighborhoods all over Berlin. There's new paint, new landscaping, and most noticeably the new window displays at the Cote block building, thanks to Jim Wagner of AVER,  Stacia Roberge of Berlin Main Street,  and Portland Glass.
In fact, the burnt out rubble and run-down buildings are closer to 10% of Berlin, not 90%. But perception is reality and a picture is worth a thousand words. The fact that that is what we see every time we drive thru town is creating the image of Berlin a town burning down, and stories like this aren't helping.
We all need to work together to change the message and change the image, or any efforts to recruit new businesses to town will fall on deaf, or at best incredulous ears.

Fun things you can do with a great heritage

Next Saturday August 25th is the kick off of a two week celebration of local heritage at the Northern Forest Heritage Park. It starts at 8:30 on Saturday at the Northern Forest Heritage Park with the  LogJam concert featuring local musicians. If you haven't gotten over there yet this summer, this is the event to go to. In addition to the concert, there will be an on-going local art show on display at the Bunk house titled Now/Then/When  featuring artwork that relates to Berlin's connection to the paper industry. The idea is that Berlin is facing monumental changes and this is a moment to capture the moment. The exhibit will include older mill-inspired art as well as more contemporary work done after the closure and reflecting the impact of the closure on the city. Hope to see you there.

Wonderful news for hikers in Coos County

Roger Brooks may think there are 7 wonders of Coos County, but to me there are many more and one of them is the incredible hiking trails and the accessibility of the mountains. From the wonderful trails of the Randolph Mountain Club to the many trails of the National Forest, Coos County is a great place to see nature up close. Now we have good news about  one of the best trails in the North Country, the Cohos Trail which winds for miles from the Canadian border, up 4,000ft mountains and thru the grounds of two grand hotels. Earlier this year we had heard that there was not enough money to keep the effort going, but as of last weekend, it had received enough of a boost from volunteers and donors to keep it open. 

Why can't Berlin do this?

National Public radio did a great piece on the town of Chula Vista, California that is forcing lenders to care for abandoned property. Makes us wonder why Berlin couldn't do more to force property owners and lenders to clean up their messes?

The 21st Century version of the Graduate

Few of us who were around at the time will forget the scene from The Graduate where Dustin Hoffman is given that critical one-word piece of advice "Plastics."   I think the 21st century version of that is "NorthSource."   In other words stop sending jobs and work overseas that can be done much better and more efficiently in the  North Country.  For those of you who have  been following my saga with my HP Laptop, this is a prime example of where outsourcing falls apart. First of all the people on the other end of the live chat may understand English, but their written skills are horrible and very clearly don't understand half of what you tell them. They are taught standard responses and if you go outside those standard responses, their only answer is to send it in. Which is a problem for those of us who rely on technology to get our work done. In the past a couple of days without a lap top might be tolerable. But three weeks without a laptop is unacceptable and I clearly let the world know that.

Their response was to have  multiple people in multiple countries all contradicting each other AND contradicting the automated emails that are going out as well.
My suggestion to them is a support center located in Coos County - -where people are by nature incredibly helpful, smart and ultimately pragmatic. They understand your problems and they solve them. Mark Hurd are you listening?

Some really interesting details

Are provided by Berlin City Planner Pamela LaFlamme over on the Byte & Chew blog. This link to a presentation that was done last month in Groveton on transmission capacity in the North Country provides some insight into the transmission debate currently swirling around the Laidlaw Biomass plan. 

Thank you, Randolph Mt. Club

Despite my uncomfortable experience with acrophobia on the top of Mt. Crescent, I have to say a very big thank you, as PeteB pointed out, to the Randolph Mtn. Club. Their network of trails is amazing and very easy to follow, even for a flatlander like me. The ability to run out the back door and be in the middle of some of the most beautiful territory in the world is a very special gift for which we owe the RMC a very big thank you. For more photos of my runs check this out.