The Reys first came to Waterville Valley in the 1950s. Hans was revising his popular astronomy book The Stars: A New Way to See Them and needed a place away from the glare of city lights to do observation. Waterville Valley, an "inland island" surrounded by hundreds of acres of national forest, was the perfect location for stargazing and the many outdoor activities the Reys loved. They spent the next twenty summers there, and wrote several Curious George stories while in Waterville Valley.