Covered Bridge Campground, Kancamagus Highway, Albany New Hampshire

Our second camping trip of the season was to The Covered Bridge Campground in Albany New Hampshire. This campground, located directly off of the Kancagamagus High Way, was one that we had driven through last summer when staying at Jigger Johnson. We knew we wanted to give this one a try so I booked as soon as reservations opened up.

Setting up our campsite

We booked site number 34. It was large, mostly private, and surrounded by trees. The ground was flat and compact which made for easy leveling of our pop-up.

Jamie quickly set up our pop-up before the incoming rain began. While I set up the inside Jamie took the kids on a walk to explore the campground. They returned from their exploration and we’re excited to report a river within walking distance. We ate some sandwiches, chips, and grapes and then headed back to the river.

Playing in the Swift River

This time we cut through the unoccupied campground directly across from us. It came right out to the river and instead of a twenty-minute walk, it was five minutes. We decided next time we will book one of these sites due to the easy access to the river. The kids looked at tadpoles, minnows and waded in the water for a bit.

After some time at the river, we walked back to the campsite where the kids played with a stump and the leaves on the trees above it for thirty minutes. I love our children so much.

Homegoods Trip

After this, we decided to go for a drive into North Conway. The rain had begun and I wanted to get some cell phone reception to check on things back home.

Once in North Conway, we stopped at the outlet area and went into Homegoods. Our plan was to buy a birthday gift for a friend. The kids also decided to use some of the money they had gotten from Jamie’s parents for their birthdays to pick out a toy. I also found the board game, Trouble, which I thought would be fun to play later on in the camper.

After shopping, we headed back to the campground where the rain continued. The kids snuggled in their sleeping bags in the pop-up while Jamie cooked some burgers on the grill under the awning for dinner.
We had cheeseburgers, salad, and chips.

Trouble!

At this point it was pouring so we decided to spend the rest of the night playing Trouble. I didn’t realize the amount of stress it would cause Anika who hates to lose, but I think we all had fun anyway. The playing time of 25-35 minutes was highly inaccurate and I think it took us well over an hour to play. By the time we were done, it was time for bed.

Drive to Explore

The next morning we woke up to more rain. Jamie made omelets for breakfast.
We all got changed, picked up the camper a bit, and then headed into town to get some coffee and go for a drive to explore. This area is so beautiful that sometimes it’s nice to just drive around for a bit. That’s often how we will find our next camping destination. Also, the kids were happy listening to an audiobook, the truck was warm and cozy and I had a nice warm cup of coffee to enjoy. Pretty much perfection.

We ended up stopping at a cider place where Jamie bought some apple cider donuts for us to try. On the way back we stopped at the North Conway Outlets. I wanted an umbrella to have for this trip and to keep in the camper for future rainy day excursions. Since covid, the kids have spent very little time in stores, so two days in a row in one was huge.

After we wandered around TJ Maxx we left with a deck of playing cards, Super Mario underwear for Jake, and a set of new PJs for each kid. All these things have been on my list to purchase. Jake also chose to spend the last of his birthday money on a pretty sweet Playmobil pirate set. By this point, it was lunchtime.

Pizza and Movie Afternoon

Since it was Friday we had planned on pizza and a movie night for dinner. It was so rainy we decided to do pizza and a movie afternoon. We picked up pizza on the way back and ate in the pop-up, while we watched episodes of season three of Kippo on our iPad. I made hot chocolate with marshmallows. After some tv, hot chocolate, and snuggling we decided to play card games. Slapjack, Go Fish, and War were all big hits.

After that, the rain slowed down. The kids wanted to play with their new toys in the pop-up for a bit and Jamie started a fire. We had a quick dinner of hot dogs, salad, and chips. Followed by smores for dessert. After we sat by the campfire for a bit. The kids wanted to play trouble once more before bed. By the time we were done, it was bedtime.

The next morning we woke up, Jamie made egg sandwiches and heated leftover donuts for breakfast. We packed up everything and headed down to the river to play one more time before leaving for home.

This was definitely not a typical camping trip for us. Usually, we spend most of our time outdoors. This trip’s weather changed this a bit. We spent some time in stores, and in the pop-up watching tv and playing games with some nature, time sprinkled throughout. Despite the rain, this ended up being one of my favorite camping trips. Our pop-up kept us warm and dry. It was so relaxing and just what our little family needed this weekend, some cozy time together. It worked out perfectly.