Category Archives: New Hampshire

Mount Washington and other tidbits

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As I traveled around the White Mountains of New Hampshire I picked up a few tidbits about the Live Free or Die State.

  • New Hampshire received Statehood in 1778. It was the 9th State to join the Union.
  • The Capital of New Hampshire is CONCORD.
  • The state’s nickname is “the Granite State”
  • The State’s motto, as mentioned above, is “Live Free or Die”
  • The State Emblem is the Old Man of the Mountain. *
  • State Song: Old New Hampshire and New Hampshire, My New Hampshire
  • Flower: Purple Lilac
  • Wildflower: Pink Lady’s Slipper
  • Tree: White Birch
  • Gem: Smokey Quartz
  • Rock: Granite
  • Mineral: Beryl
  • Bird: Purple Finch
  • Animal: White Tail Deer
  • Insect: Lady Bug
  • Amphibian: Red Spotted Newt
  • Butterfly: Karner Blue
  • Saltwater Fish: Striped Bass
  • Freshwater Fish: Brook Trout
  • Area: 9,304 square miles
  • Greatest Width: 90 miles
  • Greatest Length: 180 miles
  • Coastline: 17.75 miles
  • Lakes and Ponds: 1,300
  • Miles of streams: 40,000
  • Mountain Peaks over 3,000 ft.: 82
  • Highest Peak: Mount Washington @ 6,288 ft.

*The old Man of the Mountain : Faces in stone are not uncommon around the world. New Hampshire also has the  Indian Head. The Old Man first gained it’s notoriety when Daniel Webster wrote:  “Men hang out their signs indicative of their respective trades; shoe makers hang out a gigantic shoe; jewelers a monster watch, and the dentist hangs out a gold tooth; but up in the Mountains of New Hampshire, God Almighty has hung out a sign to show that there He makes men.”

In 1945 The Old Man’s profile became the state emblem. It can be found on license plates, road signs and the State Quarter.

Since the 1920’s the granite outcropping that formed the face was showing signs of weathering. It would have failed long before its actual demise on May 3, 2003 if not for continual intervention by man over the years. Efforts to save the “Old Man” ranged from chains, to concrete, to steel rods and more but nothing could stop the slow erosion caused by weathering the seasons of freezing and thawing of Northern New England. Eventually that weathering, with gravity’s help, caused the famous icon to collapse. Today there is a marker and museum near the site.

Old Man of the Mountain vs Indian Head: When I was riding around on the Moose tour, the Guide pointed out the Indian Head formation.

According to the guide, the profile of the Indian is created as much by shadows as by actual stone. Because of this the Indian Head formation can appear quite different at different times of day and in different light. The Old Man was a true Stone Formation.

Mount Washington Wind speed record: As you know from the previous post about the cog railway, there is a sign at the summit of Mount Washington stating that the highest wind ever recorded by man was recorded on Mount Washington.

That record stood from 1934 to 1996 when a wind speed of 253 mph was recorded on Barrow Island, Australia during a cyclone. It took the World Meteorological Organization until 2010 to recognize the new record. An even greater wind of 316 mph was recorded in Moore, OK in 1999 during a F5 tornado but that was not recorded at ground level so was disqualified.

That’s more information than I have about my own state! It’s probably more than any of us wanted to know.

New Hampshire also seems to have tons of covered bridges. I haven’t found an actual count of them but they all seem to have a number assigned. So I saw one bridge that was #64 or #65 so I am guessing there are at least that many.

                    

Cannon Mountain

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Tickets for the Flume Gorge and the Tramway at Cannon Mountain can be purchased together on what is known as a Discovery Pass. Luckily you don’t have to do both on the same day. I spent 3 hours of my afternoon at the Flume Gorge so I would have only had an hour at Cannon Mountain. Not knowing what to expect there I made the decision to wait til the next day. The weather was supposed to clear up so the visibility from the top should be good.

Even with a substantial dose of ibuprofen my legs were letting me know that I had used muscles that I normally neglect. I was looking forward to a gentle ride up the mountain. I imagined a casual walk around the top like there was on Mount Washington. That was far from the reality!

I arrived at the mountain at about 10:00 am. A sign said the temperature at the top of the mountain at 9am was 60 degrees. I had on a tank top so I went back to the car to get a jacket…just in case. I remembered how chilly but refreshing it was at the top of Mount Washington.

It was really great to watch the cable cars head up and down the mountain. It was almost more fun to watch that than to ride them. The car going up passes the car coming down at the midway point in the trip. Seemed like there were a lot more passengers going up than coming down. At each tower the car gave a little dip and sway. The guide on the tram said if we liked that we should come back on a windy day!

There’s a little bump as the car settles into it’s dock at the top and we’re there. There are 2 decks with tables and a cafeteria style restaurant. They were putting out fresh-baked cookies that smelled wonderful. I stopped to buy a bottle of water and commented on how good the cookies smelled. The cafeteria gal said that’s why they bake them…so it will temp us to stop and buy something. I bought the water but my legs were a reminder that I didn’t need the cookies so I managed to resist.

I followed the trail signs and next thing I knew I was following a hiking trail upward. Oh no! More hiking and climbing! My legs will never be the same. I am definitely going to have to get on an excercise program when I get home!

The views are spectacular! The trail takes you right along the top of the mountain right up to the edge in some places. Finally it curves through some woods and opens up at the base of an observation tower. It looks like a fire tower but the only people climbing it were us tourists. From the top we could see Maine and Canada (or so  we were told). I can imagine it’s true as it looked like we could see forever. I’m glad I waited for a clear day although even today it was a little hazy.

There was a cool breeze but it was quite warm in the sun. I stayed on top of the tower for quite a while as I wanted to see if I could get some shots of the cable car from up there.

 The trams run every 15 minutes but I didn’t see it. I finally realized that it wasn’t that the cable care wasn’t on schedule, the angle was wrong. I had to look very closely to spot it as it came up the hill and then dipped into the building to dock.

The path back down from the tower was much shorter, only about 500 yards. It was so nice and peaceful up on the top and cool too. 

 I sat and relaxed and enjoyed the view and the comfortable temperatures.

I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do with the rest of my afternoon so I just sat and contemplated. 🙂

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The Flume Gorge, A Tale of Misadventure

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The Flume Gorge in Franconia, New Hampshire is one of Mother Nature’s Gems and like so many of her wonders, it takes a little effort on our part if we want to experience it to its fullest.

The Gorge is located in Franconia Notch State Park so is well maintained by the park service. The visitor center has some wonderful displays that range from a stage-coach

 to a huge display of two bull moose locked in combat.

This display is for real. A hunter found the remains of the two moose in the woods. They got their antlers locked during combat. When the victor was unable to free himself they both ended up dying.

 A very sad end but that’s the way it is in nature sometimes.

 The trail is a two-mile hike that leads you down into the gorge to experience the 90 ft walls towering up on either side of you.

 Much of the trail through the gorge is a boardwalk and there are many, many stairs.

 The walking can be slippery and when there is an uphill ramp, slats are nailed to the boardwalk to give hikers traction.

The walk can be strenuous but benches are strategically placed to let tired hikers catch their breath before moving on.

I do not remember ever going to this gorge before. I have hiked other ones as a child but nothing like this as an adult so here’s where I made my first mistake. I did not realize how narrow or long the trail was. I did wear hiking boots. (Best decision I made this day) and I took my trusty Mono-pod for the camera and , I must confess, it makes a super sturdy walking stick. But then I decided to take my tripod too. I had high hopes of capturing some of the falls with a long exposure and I didn’t trust myself to be steady with just the mon-pod.

It was quite a warm day. There were some clouds and the threat of a passing shower but in the gorge there was a cool breeze as the air moved over the cold water. All was going well until just before Avalanche Falls. The boardwalk slants upward and there were quite a few people in front of me leaning out to take pictures. I propped the mono-pod up against the railing and set the folded tripod down at my feet so I could hold the camera out to try for a picture. Somehow the mono-pod came loose from the railing and fell into the gorge before I could grab it.

It landed grip down and pointed back up but slanted away from the boardwalk. It was just out of my reach. A couple of men stopped but after a half-hearted effort they just said “Too far-Too bad”. Finally I got down on my hands and knees. I took the tripod out of its carry case and then I took the case and used its strap to lasso the end of the mono-pod. Slowly I pulled it toward me until I could just grab the tip. Success!

Now I scrambled to my feet, stuffed the tripod back in the case and headed off as quick as I could. I was worried who might have seen that little mishap. The only people to mention it was a nice couple that I had talked to earlier. Turned out they were the ones behind me on the trail and their only comments was to laugh and say “That was quite a picture!”

Ok so back on track. I was so glad to have the monopod back because my legs were really starting to protest all the uphill walking. I finally reached the top so the return trip should have been all downhill, right? Well that was my next mistake.

There were 2 trails back to the visitor center. One was the Rim Trail which follows the rim of the gorge back to Boulder Cabin where a shuttle bus will pick you up and take you back. The other trail was the “forest trail” or something like that. I selected that one. After all, why see the same sights. Going back a different way would just let me see new things. I’d still be going downhill, right?

WRONG! There were some pretty views of the gorge and some waterfalls and I did get to use the tripod at one of the waterfalls. The sign said it was a 100 ft cascade. But bottom line, it was much longer and it had a lot of uphill as well as down.

The literature said it was about 1- 1.5 hours round trip. OMG! It took me 3 hours round trip. It showed me just how out of shape I really am. No chance of kidding myself now.  It also taught me to open my mouth and ask what the conditions are like. Will there be room for tripods and so on. I could have lightened my load considerably as I only used 1 lens the whole time and only used the tripod once. My backpack with extra lenses and the tripod could have stayed in the car.

I do plan to go back and do this again but not til I’ve spent a few months working on a treadmill! I did meet many others who were not carrying anything that were huffing and puffing their way along. And I met some later at Cannon Mountain that said they were afraid they couldn’t get through it at all so they weren’t even going to try.That comment  was from a woman in her early 40’s so I guess I don’t feel quite so bad.

I still think it was beautiful, worth every drop of sweat and sore muscles! I can imagine what it must have been like to see it all alone and enjoy the pristine tranquility to the sound of rushing water. With all of the lush greenery it looks so primal; maybe even Lost World or Jurassic Park ish. I guess I am just selfish but it would be nice to sit on the bench near Avalanche Falls and be the only one there…just for a little while. 🙂

Scenic Hobo Railroad

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The weather was kind of iffy. The sun would come out and tease you outside only to hide behind a cloud and drop rain on you. What do you do on a day like that when you’re on vacation?

I chose to check out the Hobo Railroad. It seems there are quite a few railroads in New Hampshire billing themselves as scenic train rides. The Hobo Railroad and the Winnipesaukee Scenic Railroad are part of the same transit system each advertising the other.

I found the station without any problem, In fact it’s kind of hard to miss. As you come off RT 93 at the Kancamagus exit in Lincoln there’s a huge sign for : TRAIN RIDES with an arrow pointing the way. You pass the Hobo Railroad mini golf to reach the parking lot.

I liked the train station and gift shop. There’s a play area for the kids and picnic tables and benches available while you wait for the train. I first trotted off to set up the camera for pictures. I chose a spot on the grass over by the mini put-put. 

Oh Oh! I had visitors. I should have thought of it before I set up but there hadn’t been an issue before. Of course , it hadn’t been a rainy, humid day before either. I’m talking about the plague of New England fields and forests…the Black Fly. I remember these little biting pests from growing up in the Adirondacks. They hide in the grass and as you walk through it you disturb them and they fly up in swarms.

My choice of a location for the camera must have disturbed them as I had them all over me. They were getting behind my glasses, under the brim of my hat, even up my shirt sleeves. Ugh! I found myself making some adjustments to the camera then running to the concrete walkway about 5 ft away. Just that little bit and they’d disappear.

Then I go back and do the next item and as soon as the flies came back I’d retreat. I think you can tell something was up as I don’t look quite as happy in the pictures!

After I got the train pictures I made a hasty retreat to the gift shop and purchased my ticket for the 1 pm train. I splurged for the $10.00 lunch of a sandwich, soda and cookie.

About 12:30 the Hobo Clown came out to the Hobo Stage and put on a little magic show, He was a very low-key clown but it was enjoyable. He had some good tricks too. After that show wrapped up we boarded the train.

Lunch was served very quickly after we got underway. It was pretty good. I had the ham & cheese on a bulkie roll. The roll was soft and fresh. The cheese was provolone and there was a good portion of ham. 2 thumbs up on the lunch.

The conductor started out strong introducing the staff and laying the groundwork for the ride. At first he did pretty good pointing out the things we were seeing and telling us the history of the area and the conservation efforts on the river. Unfortunately he seemed to run out of steam. Plus some the accuracy of his information was suspect. Specifically he told us that there were no moose in the area this time of year.

At the time that he said that I was thinking about taking the moose tour. Now I thought maybe I should reconsider. As you already know I did take the tour and I did see moose! So I’d have to say that round goes to the Moose Tour Operators and that the trainman needs to update his information.

Shortly after that tid-bit the conductor seemed to run out of things to say. I chatted with my booth mate and let the sway of the train lull me. If I hadn’t been in a conversation I probably would have dozed off. There was nothing to see. We traveled through woods for pretty much the whole ride…80 minutes. There were occasional glimpses of the river but no oh/ah moments or sweeping scenic vistas.

My seatmate even commented that it was a “kind of boring” ride. Now I can see why they needed a clown on the train.

Speaking of the clown, eventually he got to our car. He did a few magic tricks and made some balloon animals for the kids before moving on to the next car.

Eventually we pulled back into the station. I guess you could say it was a pleasant interlude but I personally found the actual train ride a bit dull. It might be nicer when the fall colors are at their peak. I wouldn’t say not to go, but I would lower any expectations you might have.

Steam power at the Cog Railway

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Some things are just too good to do just once. Although I didn’t feel the need to ride the train to the summit again, I did want to see the steam locomotive in action. It was burning some coal and puffing a bit on my first visit but it didn’t go anywhere. So with an early morning wake-up call I made a point to get back for the 8:30 train. The good thing…I made it in plenty of time. The bad part…I forgot the sign I need for the photo contest.

Here’s what I got from the 2nd visit. It was sunny too even though by noontime it had clouded over. But it didn’t matter, the steam train was done for the day.

Kind of amazing how much smoke that little engine puts out. I could see the fireman shovelling coal like crazy. I wouldn’t want that job.

The Steam engines at the Cog were first powered by wood. Then as technology progressed the wood burning engines were converted to coal. Now the main fleet of engines is all biodiesel to be environmentally friendly. When you see that smoke and steam blowing over the forest you can see why it was important to convert the fuel to be more environmentally responsible. This one trip a day is the only nod to the past.

The pictures posted here are the clearest although I had some where the smoke was so thick you couldn’t even see the train at all. It’s really quite something to see. I’m not sure I’d want to be in those passenger cars surrounded by all that smoke!

In the early days it took 6 hours to reach the summit! 6 hours of smoky air! WOW! I’m thankful for the advancements in technology in this case. 🙂