Mount Washington, New Hampshire
9/22-23/15
Wednesday, September 22
Left the motel at 8:51, after the Danish I had bought at the gas station nearby last night and a free cup of coffee from Motel 6,temp 55, too warm for the sweater I’m wearing. A bird left me a gift on the windshield. Another clear blue sky day. For the first time this trip, I wonder if I've left something behind. I don't think I have. Not yet. But it'll happen.
I-86 to US 2E with the sun in my eyes. Quite chilly with the window down. Still on the outskirts of Burlington at 9:03, sitting for a while as traffic gets rerouted around a broke-down tractor trailer going the other way blocking traffic. Finally into country at 9:12 although the speed limit is only 40. Williston.
Past an old country graveyard and for the first time I wondered why so many people are attracted to graveyards when most of us will be lying in one for probably much longer than we lived.
Down from the hills surrounding Burlington into a plain or valley surrounded by mountains on either side. US 2 parallels I-89 from somewhere east of Burlington to Montpelier, sometimes separated only by a guard rail and a narrow strip of grass, 2 going under and over it numerous times. I had US 2 pretty much to myself while I-89 has pretty steady traffic though it's not wall to wall. A girder bridge over a river. Richmond. Very curving road, still pretty hilly though in a kind of valley. Jonesville, just a handful of houses. Big massif to my side, long and pretty much level (though I probably wouldn't think so if I was hiking it), a long high flat ridge like a western mesa though much longer and covered with trees.
Waterbury. Nice little river and a railroad. Shuttered house, could've been a church once maybe. A number of short stops where they're working on the road and down to one lane. Took a picture of a river between Waterbury and Middlesex. Don't know what they call it so I guess I'll call it the Conga Bob River.
The Conga Bob River
Moretown seemed to be just a house on one side (with the sign Moretown Town Offices) and a business on the other side. Quite a few clouds in the sky as I reached Middlesex, still lots of sun though, temp down to 48. Into the edge of Montpelier at 10:05--Pavilion Office Building, 4 floors, probably once a hotel, lots of windows and curlicues and stuff. A clock tower with a widow's walk on top of it. Cool Jewels, Bear Pond Books.
Back into country. Plainfield. Welcome to Marshfield. A blacksmith shop. 2 land road, moderately well-paved, not great, forested hills on either side, occasional houses, what was once a motor home now permanently planted. Route 2 is not entirely country, houses along it regularly, 2 lane, occasionally a passing lane on a hill, a couple of houses with metal roofs, a United Church with a green metal roof. Took a picture of the Marshfield Reservoir with some mountain in the background. Don't know the name of the mountain so I guess I'll call it Mount Burrie.
Mount Burrie behind the Marshfield Reservoir
Pretty much clear again at 10:45. Wide view of a range of distant bluish mountains. Danville. "Moose Next 2 Miles." A little more color but still not much, pretty drab colors. A lot of pines. Crossing I-91.
Saint Johnsbury. School looks like a prison. I guess there's a college here. US 2 joins US 5 very briefly. Anthony's Diner, not a railroad car, with 2 screen doors. Good-sized English muffin and a good-sized cup of pretty good coffee for $3.75, including tip. More road construction over some river after passing the flashing lights of the Caledonia County Sherriff's car.
Concord. Temp up to 66. Into New Hampshire at 12:10. Lancaster. More low brick buildings. Nothing unusual about that. Jefferson, New Hapshire. Neat church with a nice-looking bell tower with no bell in it. Probably not a church anymore either.
Generally speaking there's nothing much distinctive about most of these Vermont and New Hampshire small towns or the countryside itself. Pleasant enough. Houses spaced regularly along 2 outside the towns, only a few stretches of woodland.
As I approach the White Mountains (I guess), though, it begins to be mildly spectacular. You've seen 3 New England churches, pretty much you've seen all of them, although once in a while one will surprise you with something different. The mountains get more and more impressive as I get closer to them.
The town of Randolph. Reached the Mount Jefferson View Motel at 12:45. The owner said it's 25 minutes to Mount Washington.
I drove to the ranger's station on the road to Mount Washington. He called someone who said the cabin we stayed in back in the early 50s is no longer there. The toll road costs $28 but I'm going to do it anyway, stopping to hike up to where the cabin had been then driving to the top. Stopped at a Subway in Gorham in a brick building that looks like it was built in the 50s. $6.54 for a cold cut sub so I won't have to drive to Gorham to eat tonight. Filled the tank with $2.259 gasoline only to discover it was $2.219 in Gorham. Temp up to 74 at 3:15. Went to Moose Brook State Park and burned the papers I had for years with my social security number and signature and other stuff. Took quite a while. Took a picture of Mount Jefferson.
Back at the motel, I took a brief walk in the field behind the motel and a short path in the woods.
Thursday, September 23
Up at 9 and on the road at 9:27, temp 54. Another blue sky day, though this one has a few clouds in it. This is definitely beautiful territory--a row of humpback mountains to my left, Mount Jefferson through the trees to my right. I passed a line of long-stem pines, up 50 or more feet without branches until finally branching out at the top. A lot of birches, of course. A big parking area at a trail head with about 20 cars at 9:30 in the morning.
I stopped at Welsh's Restaurant for a very small veggie omelet for $9.05. (The snack stand at the gift shop at the base of the road to Mount Washington turned out to be much cheaper.) There was something near the top of one of the mountains reflecting light very strongly though easily several miles away. Later it looked like it might be an observatory of some kind. $28 for the road to the top of Mount Washington. The road is blacktop, very narrow, with a stretch of dirt road just before the top, just enough room for two cars, very steep--I drove it in second and third gear. The trees are still mostly green, though I did see a handful of bright leaves. Lots and lots of birch trees, as usual, some wonderful vistas with no place to pull over and no vistas at the pullovers.
I reached the Chandler Brook Trail at 11:09, a shortcut to where we had camped along the Peabody River over 60 years ago. It wasn't uphill but a very steep downhill, pretty rugged and rocky. and, After about 10 minutes, it was clear that it would stay that way for a long long way down and I decided it was just too dangerous, too easy to fall.
Looking down the Chandler Brook Trail
As I drove closer to the top, it became white knuckle driving. The tree line ended shortly after the Chandler Brook Trail, a little over 4000 feet. The trees at Chandler Brook were only about 10 feet high, then there was nothing but rocks and grasses of some kind. I reached the parking lot at 11:39, a bowl of mist below us. There was the Tip Top House, a rock house built in 1853 before the road or the cog railway were built, with 4 double-decker bunk beds, wood instead of box springs. I didn't get quite to the summit (6288 feet)--there was a long line of people getting their picture taken but I got to within 2 or 3 feet of it. I figured that was good enough for me. On the way down I saw a line of cairns marking a trail along a ridge.
The Tip-Top House
Even in second gear, I gained speed as I went downhill. Bought some postcards at the gift shop, which I sent to Burrie, Al Thorburn, and David Grossman when I got to the Gorham post office. Quite a stand of pines as I left the gift shop area.
The Walmart in Gorham has a complete grocery (apparently the only one in town other than convenience stores)--I got carbonated water, a piece of carrot cake, and some nuts.
I passed an old railroad bridge over a river with cars parked under it so, under my Rule 3, I stopped to check it out. Underneath there was a walkway, which led to a dirt road (the AV Trail) which led to a path through the woods (the Power Island Loop) paralleling the river (I thought I heard a kingfisher) through young growth trees, a stand of 8 birches, a few middle-aged trees, under a power line into a pine forest. Peaceful. It crossed the AV Trail and I walked back. A medium-sized bird, about the size of a small quail, flew across the trail and there was a squirrel and so much for wildlife. Very short walk, maybe 20 minutes.
If the first part of yesterday's drive was not particularlhy distinctive, this country certainly makes up for it. This is a beauty and splendor that photographs can't even begin to capture.
Back to the motel at 2:30 to walk the road dirt behind the motel into the woods. It split in two and I took the left branch, which ended quickly at a tiny cascade of water and a pool with several water striders, with lots of pieces of concrete slowly being taken over by moss and some large black tubing apparently connected to nothing.
I'll probably spend the night at the motel watching TV.