Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Greetings from the White Mountains of New Hampshire,
I thought the radio alarm was going off at 6:00 AM this morning, but it was just Steve singing "Springtime in Paris" in the shower. We wolfed down a quick continental breakfast at the hotel in Jackman, Maine, and headed deeper into the north woods in search of the elusive Moose. We continue to be mystified by the mystery of the missing Moose of Maine. Try saying that five time fast! We inquired while getting gas as to the road conditions en route to Moosehead Lake and were advised that it was not recommended for motorcycles since last winter's damage. Sounded like a challenge to us, so off we went. The area around Rockwood, ME, and Moosehead lake is gorgeous. The lake is home to nice lake homes, cottages, fishing boats, resorts and float planes. It's amazing to see beautiful big lakes with no one on them. We were told its busier on the weekends.
Departing Maine, we headed west and crossed the New Hampshire border around 4:00 PM, en route to the town of Gorham, NH, in the White Mountains, the highest point in New England. We stopped in Gorham and talked to "Olive" at the Information Center. Olive has worked there for more that 26 years; she really knows her stuff. She recommended that we ride the Auto Road up Mount Washington and checked the conditions on the mountain top for us. We were at 1,300 feet in Gorham headed for 6,600 feet up a narrow eight mile long $14 toll road with a 20 MPH speed limit and no guard rails. And, a mile and a half of the road is dirt. It was very challenging and a little scary in places. It was 73 degrees in Gorham and 45 degrees at the summit. We bundled up and headed up the mountain in first and second gear for 30 minutes. Mt. Washington claims the "Worst Weather in the World." In 1934 they recorded the highest wind velocity ever recorded anywhere in the world, 231 MPH!
Arriving at the top of Mt. Washington we found ourselves well into the clouds surrounding the summit. Mt. Washington also claims the first Cog Railroad in America that ascends the mountain from the west, whereas the Auto Road ascends from the east side of the mountain. The fare for a round-trip ticket on the Cog Railway is $62 per person. We managed to successfuly negotiate the Auto Road and returned to the Town & Country Hotel in Gorham for a quick dip in the Jacuzzi and a well-deserved supper in the dining room. Tomorrow we're off to the State of Vermont.
Until tomorrow, be well and please tune in again.
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