August 10, 2008 – Cannon Mountain and the Auto Road to the top of Mount Washington

We woke this morning to SUN and BLUE skies with very little clouds so again to Cannon Mountain and it was CLEAR – Yippee!!

We took the gondola to the top, and then did the Ridge Trail to the Fire Tower – Breathtaking views:

Once we came down, we were wondering if Mount Washington was clear and decided to drive over and see. It was in and out of the clouds so we decided to take the Auto Road to the Top! Folks, this is an 8 mile uphill, narrow road and I drove it – WOW. I need to get Andy a shirt that says “I survived the auto road as a passenger!” I did ok although a few times it was a little hairy.

The top was in and out of the clouds but so much different from the other day we were here on the Cog Railway.

Views:

This is the first observatory – notice the chains. Yes, it was chained to the rocks so it would not blow away.

Another cog arriving (notice how clear compared to the other day):

At the summit:

What an incredible place!

Andy made the journey back because he was afraid I would burn out the brakes (probably true!) As we came down the mountain, it started to rain and continued raining and thunderstorms the rest of the evening. We are so glad we had these two days as a break – much improved our moods.

August 9, 2008 – The Littleton Grist Mill

We woke to blue skies and sun this morning and headed to Cannon Mountain. But, alas, the mountain was still in the fog. So we decided to visit the Littleton Grist Mill.

This building has been restored and it is now recognized as the oldest commercial building north of Concord, NH. They have also restored the workings and make and sell various grains and flours.

The mill and surrounding area:



The Littleton Diner uses the Grist Mill Flours so for lunch we tried their whole-wheat pancakes – MMMMM!

It continued to stay sunny so when we got back, we started the campfire right away (hey, you never know when the rains will start) and were able to enjoy it all evening. Even Elliot wanted out in the sun:


We met our neighbors here and they are from Pine Grove (about 10 miles from where we live) – what a small world!

August 8, 2008 – Dancing with the Rain

Today was one of those “dancing with the rain” days – sometimes beautiful and sometimes thunderstorms...

We were able to get a bike ride on the bike path and then a visit to Moore Reservoir:

And the rain continues….

There are a number of areas here that have flooded – to all, we are okay. The campground we are in is away from the local streams and we are careful where we drive.

Keep all those who have lost lives/belongings to the flood waters in your prayers.

August 7, 2008 – Mount Washington and the Cog Railway

The weather forecast today called for some breaks from the rain so even though it was cloudy, we headed to Mount Washington Cog Railway. We went thru the museum, had lunch, and watch the railcars go up and down the mountain. Around 1 PM, the clouds dissipated and there were the blue skies. So we took the 2 PM train to the top.

Pictures on the way to the top:







We are going into the fog:

The top:

The top of Mount Washington is in the fog about 300 days of the year and today was one of those days. We only had 20 minutes at the top so we just took a quick tour thru the building. The weather observatory was closed to the general public. There is a museum there but we did not have enough time. If the weather does clear out we may take the auto road to the top and check it out.

Interesting tidbits:

Mt. Washington holds the world record for wind speed: 231mph!
• This was recorded on April 12, 1934 atop the old Observatory.
• Hurricane-force winds occur, on average, 104 days per year.
• In winter, though, this typically occurs 3 out of every 4 days!
• Also in winter, 100mph winds usually occur every 3 days

How about that!

Pictures on the way down:



The whole trip was breathtaking – I am so glad that we did it.

Another historic site – The Mount Washington Hotel:

From the sign:
Bretton Woods Monetary Conference
In 1944, the United States government chose the Mount Washington Hotel as the site for a gathering of representatives from 44 countries. This was to be the famed Bretton Woods Monetary Conference. The Conference established the World Bank, set the gold standard at $35.00 an ounce, and chose the American dollar as the backbone of international exchange. The meeting provided the world with badly needed post war currency stability.

We learn something new every day…


As we headed back to camp, the rain started and continued so we picked up a pizza. I miss the campfires!!

August 6, 2008 – Sightseeing in the Rain

And the rain continues……

Our first stop today was the Man in the Mountain Museum. New Hampshire’s state symbol is the Man of the Mountain but in 2003, this mountain structure fell. The museum was small but there was a lot of info. They are now working on putting together an area near the mountain.

Our next stop was Chutters:
They are renowned as the World’s Longest Candy Counter (an Official Guinness World Record). OH MY!! Both Andy and I LOVE our sweets and we could have gone nuts but we were good and only bought a few things. We did, however, find a plaque that said: “Life is a journey, not a destination” – just like our blog. What a nice find.

The rain did let up and we took a ride to Franconia and stopped at the Iron Furnace Interpretive Center. This is the only blast furnace still standing in New Hampshire.

We could not tour the furnace since it is on private property. Notice the river in the photo. There has been so much rain in this area that many of the rivers and streams are very swollen and rushing. And the forecast here is more of the same - :-( ...

(So no campfire tonight!)

August 5, 2008 – Just a Peak of Sun and Moving Day

We woke to fog and clouds so decided to move further north. We are staying at Apple Hill Campground in Bethlehem, NH. It is a Passport America Campground with full hookups so it is nice to have electric again. This area will be close to both Cannon Mountain and Mount Washington – so if it clears up we have a chance at both.

The clouds in the mountains are just so dramatic. A picture on the way:

And I am still waiting for the moose:


Near the campground there was a free stand and I was able to pick up a free moose statue – to add to my collection!!

Once we set up, we did check out the area so now we have a list of things to do in case the rain continues. And we did get some peaks of sun between the rains – enough to have a small campfire!!

Miles Traveled: 30 miles
Routes Traveled:
New Hampshire: NH-112; I-93; NH-302; NH-142

August 3-4, 2008 – The Rain Continues

Yes, we have had two more rainy days but were finally blessed with the sun late this afternoon and were able to sit outside and enjoy a campfire.

Because of the amount of rain we had, we took some pictures of the nearby river:

The sound was incredible and then we were blessed with a rainbow:

Notice the clouds in the pictures. They are so dramatic over the mountains whether they are storm clouds or just the white puffy clouds.

Tomorrow promises to be sunny and we are hoping to ride the gondola to the top of Cannon Mountain so until then…..

August 2, 2008 – The Kancamagus Highway

Another blue sky morning so we decided to do the Kancamagus Highway. This highway is the highest year round public road in the state and it goes right thru the White Mountain National Forest. And the scenery continues to WOW us.

From the overlooks:


A short hike to Sabbaday Falls:

The Rocky Gorge Scenic Area:

Falls Pond:

What beauty – we feel so blessed to be able to experience this.

We were able to make supper over the campfire but then the rain and thunderstorms started. Right now it is 9 PM and the rain and thunder is still going strong. Oh well!!