Day 25, May 10, Welcome to New Hampshire!

We left North Branford, Connecticut this morning, headed to Brookline, NH a short distance from Nashua. Our campground is called Field and Stream RV Park. However, before leaving Branford, we had a bit of business to take care of. We needed to get our dead coach battery replaced. The coach battery is critical for starting the generator, the machine that provides electricity for the kitchen, bedroom, and bathroom when we are not connected to an external electrical source. (All of the camps we've visited so far have external or "station" power. However, when we are staying in hotels or in friends houses, the generator is needed to keep the battery fully charged, which in turn, keeps the refrigerator working.). Therefore, getting a good working battery was critical, so that our refrigerated food would not spoil.

The route to the battery took us through rural, back country areas of Connecticut. to head to the Trailer Depot where our RV would be serviced. There are a lot of beautiful rural places in this state, as well as all of the states we have visited thus far -- even New Jersey! We concluded that every state in the U.S. must have these beautiful, quiet places, the off-the-beaten path communities and environments. Traveling on the interstate highways, it is difficult to truly get an appreciation for this fact. We are glad we are having opportunities to get a glimpse of these back roads and the communities they connect and serve. Here are some glimpses of the Connecticut back country we travelled this morning:

Two interesting facts about Connecticut:

1. The name derives from a Mohegan-Pequot phrase meaning "long tidal river" which refers to the Connecticut River.

2. The European discovery of Connecticut was credited to Thomas Hooker, who led a group of English colonists from the Massachusetts Bay Colony to a new territory that was named the Connecticut Colony.

When we arrived at the RV repair shop, the Trailer Depot, the people were helpful and it was not long before they were working on the replacement of the battery.

After battery replacement, we were finally off. Patrise took the first shift. Here are some more Connecticut scenes.

The Connecticut River near Hartford.

Patrise drove until we reached Sturbridge, MA just a short distance from the Massachusetts-New Hampshire border. We had lunch at the Sturbridge Seafood Restaurant.

The local award-winning restaurant displayed the message above at the front.

"Short staffed" was an understatement. There was only one server working the front of the house: being the hostess, clearing tables for the next guests, taking drink and food orders, and settling the bills. She was incredibly efficient, and she maintained a polite and friendly demeanor through it all. We tipped her heavily!

I assumed the driving duties for the rest of the trip. And oh, by the way, we managed to get photos of the Massachusetts Welcomes you and the Welcome to New Hampshire signs.

We arrived at our camp in Brookline, New Hampshire about 5pm and settled in for the evening. Here are some photos from the campground.

Panorama of the camp site, creek side view

Map of the campsite, denoting our slot (#34)

Photo of the campsite looking from the front.

Bridge over a creek next to the camp

The travelers' obligatory selfie with the trusty mechanical steed in the background

A creek next to the camp

The creek next to the camp

Camp laundry and shower rooms

Inside view of a shower and bathroom. They are individual rooms.

Tomorrow, we will go into Nashua to explore the city and to look at Uncle Tom's house. Even though he died last week and is no longer there, we feel it important to see it.