| I am surprised to discover with a quick DIR/TITLE that this is the
only base note about Cedar Waters. If there are directions to the
place in the conference, I didn't find them, so at the risk of
repetition, I'll post them here.
From Nashua area, get onto Route 3 North. (75c toll) Take the beltway
south of Manchester (past the Mall of New Hampshire. (It's 101 East
and 293, and has airport signs on it, a feature my 4-year-old son likes.)
This will bring you to 93 east of the city - go north and take exit 7
to 101 East.
After you've gone quite a ways, the 65 mile per hour road will turn
into a 2-lane undivided highway in Epping. Don't be alarmed by all
the little white crosses either side of the road, but do turn your
lights on.
Route 125 is the first thing that looks like an exit off of this
stretch of 101. Take a left under the highway, heading north. Some
distance up, you will pass the Lee Speedway on the left - an
unmistakeable landmark. You will see the sign for Cedar Waters
on the left just beyond the Speedway. (It has a sun on it - another
feature my son appreciates - he seems fond of icons.)
Go left by the sign and follow that road until you come to a 4-way
intersection. Go right on Smoke Street. The gate house of Cedar
Waters is just a little ways up, on your left. There's a slate
right by it that sounds quite political. Makes a good landmark.
Pull in just past the gatehouse, not before it. Otherwise, you
set off the alarm in the office. (We did that our first time.)
Press the buzzer, state your business, and then when they give you
the green light drive up the hill to the office - and you're there.
Enjoy!
The trip takes us no more than 40 minutes from Nashua.
Coming from Boston area, just march up 93 - no tolls.
Ralph
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| Posted for a contributor who prefers to remain anonymous.
-Neil Faiman, NATURISM co-moderator
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First of all, let me apologize for the 'anonymous' nature of this note entry.
While my wife seems to be more comfortable with being nude, she is not yet
convinced everyone else is as open-minded as those we found at Cedar Waters.
The only way I could convince her to allow this post was with the stipulation
it be kept anonymous. I couldn't 'bear' :^) not passing on our experience
to all the other people out there looking for a place to introduce others
(or themselves) to naturism.
This describes a recent trip my wife and I took to the Cedar Waters
Campground in Epping, New Hampshire. This was our first 'formal' experience
with nude camping. We'd both highly recommend Cedar Waters for those looking
for a gentle introduction to a great lifestyle!
The key word in the last sentence is the word 'both'. We were thoroughly
impressed by the way the owners of Cedar Waters run their camp to ensure
an enjoyable experience for all. We went to the campground expecting to spend
a few hours (to 'give it a chance'). We ended up staying the entire day,
renting a cabin for Friday night and getting on a waiting list for Saturday!
Unfortunately, there were no cancellations and we left Saturday night vowing
to return.
Friday -
We left from Amherst, NH at 9am, following the directions given in note
267.1. They are accurate with the exception of a few recent changes.
- The sign on Rt 125 says to follow the road for 1.3 miles and turn right.
This works better because the sign for 'Smoke' road seems to be missing.
- The entrance to the park now has a granite oval with 'Cedar Waters' engraved.
Very easy to spot.
As 276.1 says, the entrance is on the left, past the gatehouse. We arrived
at 10:05, pushed the button and talked to Mary (one of the owners). She asked
three questions:
"Have you been here before?" (no)
"Do you know this is a family and couples only nudist park and
that you must have your wife with you if you are married and
you girlfriend with you, if you are not?" (Yes, I'm married.)
"Is your wife with you?" (yes)
"Great, when you see the light turn green, come on up the hill
to the office. I'll meet you there for a tour of the park."
Those questions set the tone for the whole park. Basically, that this is
a campground with moral standards and not a 'singles playground'. My wife
appreciated this immensely (one concern alleviated). [Lest you get the
wrong impression, Mary is quite friendly and outgoing and always has on
at least a smile :^).]
We went up the hill, past a 'Welcome to Cedar Waters' sign and ended up
at the office, in sight of the water. Mary came out (dressed) and led us
into the small office that's attached to their house. We dispensed with the
formalities (name, address, phone). Once done, she took us on a thorough
(clothed) tour of all the facilities. These included:
- One of the 7 cabins Cedar Waters rents on a nightly basis ($45 a
night in addition to the $22/couple day fee). These are one room
cabins with sink, stove refrigerator, table and double bed. A small
deck, more chairs and a Webber grill are just outside the entrance.
Linens are changed daily. There is no towel or 'maid' service. Cubbards
are stocked with plates, pans, cups, utensils, etc.
They also have tent sites.
- Bathrooms with outdoor showers.
- Brand new Rec house with Ping-Pong, 30" TV/VCR (not usually on),
screened porch with tables for lunch. Upstairs there is a breakfast
area (great pancakes/bacon!) and another porch. They also have
an official Bingo board they use on Friday nights at 8. [I know, I
couldn't believe it either. We found out later we missed out on
some great fun.]
- 2 camp canoes, paddle boat and row boat are available for general
use. No gas motors are allowed on the lake. Fishing is allowed and
Bass are plentiful (they have a huge trophy fish in the office
from last years competition. It was caught on a 'Barbie' fishing
pole! [The French Hill Yacht club runs there 'yacht' around the
lake several times a day (electric motors, VERY quiet) for the
amusement of all.]
- Sauna/Jacuzzi house. Wood heated sauna large enough for 12, easy.
Two 4 person jacuzzis (clean, open after 1pm till 10) and two more
outdoor showers that MUST be used before entering the jacuzzi.
- Lunch grill. This is a small building near the lake that serves
up hotdogs, hamburgers, club sandwiches and the like during the
afternoon. They also have frozen goods (popsicles, fudgicles,
Klondike bars, etc) for the kids. All are at low/reasonable prices.
You are welcome to bring your own food and non-alchoholic drink in
if you like.
- Raft. A modern, aluminum, astro-turf covered raft large enough
for at least 10 people standing (5 sunning).
- Lake. The water is a good 10' deep near the raft and I'm told 25'
deep in the center. No lifeguard. No ropes around the swimming area
is a mixed blessing. On one hand, you can swim across the lake if
you have the stamina (I didn't :^). On the other hand, you have to
be a bit more careful to look for swimmers when you come in with the
canoes/boats. With freedom comes responsibility.
The water was refreshing but not cold and perfect for an after
sauna plunge (this was mid-August). I'm told they have a January
1st 'plunge' party where they cut a hole in the ice for those crazy
enough to use it (after the sauna). Sounds intense!
Cedar Waters owns the entire lake including at least a 1/4 mile
perimeter. The only entrance is the gatehouse to ensure privacy.
- Campground. There are houses, trailers and tentsites around the
left half of the lake. These are, for the most part, owned by season
pass holders who rent the land from the owners of Cedar Waters. These
are monthly rentals! People have actually built small homes on land
they rent on a monthly basis. Some have been renting for decades!
This is a very stable, family-owned, business people have significant
long-term faith in.
- At the water was a shuffle-board court, horseshoes, swingsets and a
small fishing dock.
- A volley-ball court can be found at the end of the road. It's a
tar court so bring sneakers.
After Mary finished showing us around, she briefly went over the rules.
- 'This is a conservative park. Hand holding is probably as far
as it goes in terms of public displays of affection.' [While I had
tried, many times, to impress upon my wife that 'nude /= sex',
hearing this rule had real impact. For the first time, my wife was
wondering if these people were actually more conservative than her
:^).]
- 'Make sure you bring a lifejacket with you in the boats. State
law.'
- 'No alcohol.' (really, I didn't see one can/bottle.)
- 'Sit on towels.'
- 'Always shower with soap just before entering the jacuzzi.'
- 'No radios/tape players unless you use them with headphones.'
- 'No kids under 12 in the jacuzzi/sauna.'
- 'Kids over 12 must be accompanied by a parent in the jacuzzi/sauna.'
- 'No more than 4 in each jacuzzi.'
- 'If others are waiting, be considerate.'
- 'No clothes are allowed in the lake, sauna or jacuzzi. Other than
that, dress to suit yourself and the weather. Nudity is allowed
anywhere within the boundaries of the park.'
Mary brought us back to our car and encouraged us to come back to the office
if we had any other questions/concerns. How could we?! It was a very thorough
tour and the rules seemed fairly simple.
We had our clothes off within 10 minutes. We were back at the office asking
about a cabin rental within the hour! We met Mary's husband Terry, who seemed
to be having some PC problems. When he found out I could help, he offered to
give us the cabin for free just for trying! I wasn't able to recover all his
data but they were genuinely grateful for what I was able to do and more than
happy to have us as their guest for the night.
We spent the day sunning, canoeing and meeting people. Everyone was genuinely
friendly and more than happy to say 'Hi' (or more if we expressed an interest
in talking). We met another 'newbie' couple at the Ping-Pong table and ended
up joining them for dinner at the 'Rt 125 Family Restaurant' just outside the
park (great Prime rib and fried clams). We passed on the Bingo (our new friends
chided us, for missing a great time, the next day) and spent some time in the
jacuzzi and sauna instead. We also regretted not taking Mary's advise on
the liberal use of sunblock :^(. We were much more careful the next day.
With the exception of the sounds of cars racing at the LEE Speedway Friday
night, we had a quiet night. They weren't loud enough to keep us up.
Saturday -
Clothes were definitely required for the first hour or so Saturday morning!
It was about 45 degrees Fahrenheit! Breakfast at the Rec house opened at
8am and was great. Terry and Mary were taking orders on pre-printed forms
you fill out at your table and place on a 'spike'. They called you when it
was ready. Lots of good food, fresh coffee and friendly banter. You pay on the
way out and check your slip to keep Terry from undercharging!
By the time breakfast was over, the temperature was much more moderate and
people were starting to show up at the shore for more sun and fun. We
spent the day playing shuffle board (after being helped with the rules by
some friendly passers by), horseshoes and canoeing with our new found
friends.
There were probably twice as many people at the beach on Saturday. Many more
families with kids splashing in the water. [We discussed the possibilities of
introducing our 12, 10 and 9 year old kids to this lifestyle and regret we
didn't take 'the plunge' while they were younger.]
One event on Saturday had us concerned, at first. Terry was looking
about intensely and talking on his portable radio when I went to the office
to check on the PC. Seemed someone had driven by the gate entrance on a
motorcycle and was 'touring' the park. In no time, people had pointed out
the 'snooper' and the local police met Terry at the entrance to arrest the
offender for trespassing. It was all handled very well with a minimum of
fuss. Most people didn't even know it had happened. Cedar Waters has a VERY
good relationship with the local Police department.
Unfortunately, there were no cancellations and we had no place to spend the
night Saturday. We said our regretful good-byes around 6pm and caught dinner
on the way home.
General comments:
We were both impressed how simple, honest, open and friendly both the owners
and fellow campers were. The facilities are immaculate and very well
maintained. This is not what I would call a 'hopping' place but it's loaded
with opportunitues for good clean fun. My wife is already talking about
introducing some of her friends to Cedar Waters. She realizes most of
them are probably the same as her. Skeptical about anything associated with
getting her out of her clothes, especially when it comes from a man (ouch)!
The rules keeping out singles definitely contributed to her comfort level, at
least for the introductory plunge.
Sorry guys, but I support this rule too. She needed a place to feel SAFE or
we never would have had a chance to relax and enjoy this first experience.
Knowing there would not be 10 guys for every woman also helped her to feel
less conspicuous.
Maybe next year we can try some of the other 'less controlled' sites mentioned
in this notesfile. I know most of you are just as honest/friendly/moral as the
people at Cedar Waters but, with no control over who shows up, a 'rare' bit
of rudeness could have spoiled the one chance I may have had to introduce my
wife to a new way of life. Now that we know what it should/can be like, we can
probably handle the 'exceptions'.
We are working on plans to get back before the good weather ends, if
possible. Wev'e probably already missed our opportunity to introduce our kids
before they become 'body conscious'. Subtle probes have already resulted in
comments like 'gross' and 'not me'. Sounds familiar. Oh well, maybe
someday....
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