Tag Archives: trains

There be Moose in them woods

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It turned into a very late night!

It was supposed to rain all day so I didn’t make any plans. I figured I’d just be lazy, maybe use the laundry room to run a few things through, maybe work on some of the entries for this blog or edit some of the pictures. Instead the sun came out. Since the sun was out and the clouds seemed to be dispersing, I changed my mind and headed up to Lincoln.

I hate to waste a day so I thought I’d check out the Hobo Train and then maybe head up to Franconia Notch to see the Flume Gorge. I’d wait on the tramway as it was still cloudy and I didn’t want to waste my ride on poor visibility.

Anyway, I did go on the train and I’ll tell you about that in another post.

 Right now I just want to let you know that the moose population of northern New Hampshire is well and thriving. I can attest to that with my own eyes.

Let me explain. On the train ride I shared a booth with another lady who told me about some discount passes she got at the Visitor Center just down the street from the train station. I like discounts so after we got back into the station I made the Visitor Center my next stop.

A very nice lady went over the discounts but as I was just one person there was no real savings, but she did tell me that the Moose tours were doing a booming business. I told her that on the Hobo train the conductor had said that there weren’t any moose in the area this time of year. She laughed and said the tours were reporting 100% sightings for the season. She suggested I go talk to them. Their little kiosk was right across the street from the Hobo Railway.

I’d been planning to call them but since I was right there it seemed easier to stop in as soon as I completed my photo-op with Kodak the bear

 and Max the Moose. With those pictures secure I headed over to the Moose Tour Office.

I explained what the conductor said and was quickly set straight. I was challenged to join them on a tour. The cost was $28.00 and the tour was about 3 hours. There was no guarantee but so far they’d seen moose on every tour this season.  Their success rate for the 13 years they’d been in operation is 97%. I’ll take a chance on those odds.

I reserved a spot for the next evening at 7:30 pm and headed off to explore some more. Within 15 minutes I got a call back from them asking if I wanted to go tonight instead. They had just got a cancellation that had opened up a single seat on the tour tonight. So why not. I was already in the area anyway so I said sure and agreed to be at the Kiosk by 6:45 pm.

It was a sold out tour with a second tour going out at 11:00 pm when our tour got back. That one was sold out too. They loaded us on a good-sized bus that looked more like an oversized van. The seats were comfortable. The windows large. Thunderstorms were periodically dumping showers on us but it wasn’t torrential rain by any means.

Larry our driver

We set off on time with our driver, Larry and our guide, Steve. They told us that once we saw the moose we had to be quiet so as not to scare them away. There were a lot of children on the tour so the being quiet part was really emphasized.

We hadn’t gone far when Larry said he had a text from a motel owner that A bull moose had just crossed the river behind his property, climbed the bank and was now on the motel’s front lawn. Larry took the first exit off the highway and headed for the motel. There was a moose all right.

Not a one of us had expected that! Fun!

With that out of the way we headed back out to the highway. We were heading out to the same area I’d spent two days exploring. At the time I thought it looked like moose habitat but I didn’t see any. Of course I was there early..around 5pm. We were going to be there around 8pm. Big difference.

To pass the time while we drove and looked, Steve instructed us on moose habits and passed around “Moose parts”. He had an antler, a lower jawbone, and a hoof. He also tossed out sandwich bags of malted milk balls telling us they were “Moose Poop”. Both Steve and Larry had a multitude of very bad jokes and a CD of Moose Tunes that had the kids giggling and the adults smiling.

Steve asked for a volunteer and picked one of the little girls in the front seats. He made her the good luck moose and put a moose hat on her. That was a cute gimmick and everyone played along. The catch was that she had to wear the hat the whole trip to bring us luck. She did a good job.

All these antics carried us to our first stop. We saw a rainbow right near the Mount Washington Hotel. We stopped there for a quick photo-op and then we were back on our way.

As the sun set splashing deep orange and reds over the mountains we spotted our first moose. It was a young bull and he wasn’t about to stay around long. Everybody yelled and pointed so that could have had something to do with his quick retreat. So much for being quiet. The adults were worse than the kids! I got a glimpse of dark hindquarters disappearing into the woods.

The 2nd moose was just as skittish. But we’d learned from our mistake. There was barely a whisper, just a lot of pointing and hand waving. I didn’t see this one. Then we saw a couple of deer and another moose. This one was a female. She slipped into the woods but stopped and turned back to check us out. I was on the wrong side of the bus to get a picture plus it was quite dark at this point. The bus had spotlights they were using to illuminate the area but I doubt I could have gotten a clear picture under those conditions. Next time I will take a seat on the right side of the bus…not the left. All of the sightings were on the right side!

At about 9:30 we took a quick break at the Twin Mountain Trading Post. Our good luck girl still had on her moose hat.

We cruised through the hots spots a couple of times more but it didn’t seem that any more moose wanted to come out to play tonight so it was time to wrap up the tour. On the way back to the shop they played a beautiful movie about moose. By now a lot of the younger kids had conked out.

So I saw a moose, 2 actually. I don’t have any proof to share…this time. And the 100% success rate for the Moose Tours continues! Good tour.

The Cog Railway and Mount Washington

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I wasn’t quite sure where I was but a pretty little restaurant showed up on the right side of the road. There were cars in the lot, always a good sign. Since I hadn’t seen any other places for lunch I pulled in to take a chance. The name of the restaurant is Banner’s.

 It was clean with a down to earth interior.

The staff was friendly and the service was quick. There was outdoor seating surrounded by vines and flowers but it was so hot today that the section wasn’t even open.

My waitress said I was about 45 minutes from Mount Washington and the Cog Railway. If that’s correct I should get there about 3:30. Plenty of time to get a ticket for the 4:30 ride to the summit.

Mount Washington Summit

I wanted the 4:30 train because it is discounted $9.00, That would cover my lunch! I love getting a break on prices. I can’t say saving money because any savings are sure to be gone before the week is out! 🙂

The Mount Washington Cog Railway is the first mountain climbing cog railway in  the world. Cog railways had been around but they were all “flat landers”. 

The concept of a railroad to the summit of Mount Washington came about as a result of a near tragic incident. Sylvester Marsh of Littleton, NH and a friend climbed Mount Washington where they were caught in a fierce storm. They were forced to stay overnight and nearly perished in the frigid temperatures. This experience gave Marsh the idea of a railroad so that travelers could reach the summit of Mount Washington in comfort and safety.

 Marsh designed the railroad but there were more skeptics than supporters so financing was a problem. Building of the railway began in 1866. At first there was only enough money for about 150 yards of track. Undeterred, Marsh ran his trains up that 150 yards and back proving that the little railroad was feasible.

The New Hampshire Legislature finally gave Marsh the go ahead to build his “Railway to the Moon”. The first excursion to the summit was on July 3rd, 1869. 

It seems fitting that the first “Mountain Climbing Cog Railroad” should be on the highest mountain in the Northeastern United States. The summit of Mount Washington is 6288 ft above sea level and it known for its erratic weather. There’s a sign stating that the strongest winds ever recorded were on Mount Washington and although this record has been disputed in recent years, the sign is still there for all to see.

The Cog Railway is located off RT 302. There’s a 6 mile drive from RT 302 to the Marshfield Base Station. The comfortable building houses a small snack bar/restaurant, a gift shop, museum and rest rooms as well as the ticket office.

Boarding commenced with a hearty “ALL ABOARD” from our brakeman Darrell.

 Darrell was assisted by his #2 Darrell.

I’m not sure if their names really were Darrell and Darrell or just the joke from the movie but it was fun anyway.

Each train consists of 1 passenger car and 1 engine. The engines are biodiesel locomotives. With a nod to the past there’s one trip a day with a coal-fired steam engine. That’s the first trip in the morning leaving promptly at 8:30 am. 

The trains no longer run in the winter. The season runs from spring through fall.

It felt strange to be carrying a jacket on board when it was 100 degrees or close to it, but that was the recommendation. I was assured that I would need it at the top.

Once on board, Darrell #1 began to tell us about the train and the route. The railway isn’t built right on the mountain. In fact it is a trestle track all the way up to the summit. 3 miles in fact! One section, known as Jacobs Ladder sometimes appears to be climbing right to heaven as low clouds can hide the top of the tracks. At times the gradient is 37% making this the 2nd steepest train tracks in the world and the only one built entirely on a trestle.

At the half way point there is the Halfway House built right next to the tracks. The house appears to be built on an incline but it’s actually an illusion created by the steep pitch of the train. On the side it says “This house is level”. I wanted a picture of that but the train was so close to the house that I couldn’t get it. I guess you’ll just have to go to see for yourself.

The total trip is about 3 hours. The train drops you off at the summit and returns to the bottom. You have an hour to enjoy the views, visit the snack bar and gift shop or mail a post card with a Mount Washington postmark.

 The visibility was quite clear on my visit which I am also told is unusual. Often the summit is engulfed in clouds. Sometimes the clouds are lower on the mountain and you break through at the summit, but clear days for viewing are rare. It was very windy and the temperature was hovering at 57-59 degrees. Add in that wind chill factor and I was glad I brought my jacket.

About an hour later the next train arrived with a new batch of passengers. After they off load it’s all aboard for us again.

Going up reminded me of riding a roller coaster when it starts its climb. That comparison might not be so far off. The engine is not attached to the passenger car. Going up it just pushes the car in front of it. Going down the car’s bumper rides on the engine and they let gravity do the work.

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When I got off back at Marshfield Base Station another visitor asked me if it was worthwhile to take the ride. I told him yes,  everyone should experience it at least once.

Mount Washington Cog Railway Photo Contest

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A couple of updates  to start: The first is that I didn’t hear from the bank today. I was told they would call me to pick up my new card and set up my password. Maybe it didn’t come yet. Or…maybe they forgot to call. I think I’ll drop in on the way to work in the morning.

The second update is the dinner. As always my friends Diane and Joe served up a wonderful meal along with great conversation. Diane was the chef of the day and since its soooo hot we had chicken salad… very excellent chicken salad but the crowning glory was her desert. It was a lemon pie that was like a chiffon with whipped cream. It was so smooth and light. As I said in the beginning, a wonderful meal but it’s really the company I enjoy. Diane and Joe are both warm friendly people with lots of interesting things to talk about. Last night topics ranged from consignment shops and thrift stores to gyms, spas and workouts, to blogs and vacations and travel.  The evening just flew by.

I was even honored with a visit from Maxine, their very pretty cat with lovely green eyes. I wish I had a photo of her but Max is a bit photo shy and only approached me when the camera was out of reach. Still I’m just honored that she was willing to come out to “say hello” as she usually hides or sleeps most of the time when I am there. Maybe she’s mellowing as she ages.

Now to the main point of the blog. This morning I had a few minutes before work so I was checking prices on the places I want to go in New Hampshire. The Mount Washington Cog Railway is definitely high on my list.

The Price of an adult ticket is $62.00 (gulp!) but of all the places I’m planning to visit, that is the most expensive so I guess that’s not too bad. I’ve certainly spent more on tours and trips but I guess I think it’s expensive because it’s close to home. I don’t think twice about something like that when I travel like we did to Sedona

 or South Dakota.

But as I was reviewing the web pages I spotted another Photo Contest.  At the end of the Season, a winning photo will be chosen and the photographer will receive a ride for two passengers in the cab of one of our new eco-friendly, biodiesel locomotives next year! Now that’s interesting and unlike a far away prize, I live close enough to be able to use it! So it looks like I have 2 photo contests to try now.

And lastly my travails with computers and money continue. Today as I went in to enter my time worked so I can have a paycheck waiting for me after vacation, the computer system locked me out. That was at 10:30 in the morning. When I left work at 9 pm  HR, payroll and IT were still working on it and I was still locked out. I have 1 more day of work before vacation so here’s hoping they get the problem resolved. At this point I can only shake my head and laugh. I have never in all my life, with all my ups and downs financially,  had so many little annoyances in such a short time in the money department. It feels like an obstacle course. As long as these money issues  stay small like this I can handle it!

Well, time to wrap up this post. Can’t wait to get back to the travel stuff! As you may have guessed , this is just “filler” til I have a chance to get “more places to go and things to see.” Thanks for hanging in with me during this interlude.

Let me tell you a story about a man named Charlie

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…On that tragic and fateful day.

He put 10 cents in his pocket, kissed his wife and family,

went to ride ont he MTA.

We all know the tale of Charlie and the MTA ..he never returned , no he never returned…

Sadly on our return trip on the MBTA, a “Charlie” went to ride at Wollaston Station. As of this writing no one knows what happened. All that we, the public and other passengers know is that  a young man was hit by a red line train and there was no miracle. The young man did not make it. Was it an accident? Was it suicide? Was he drunk, impaired by some other substance? Was he distracted by his phone, texting? or an i-pod? We may never know. Hopefully the family will learn the details and be able achieve some kind of closure.

My heart goes out to the family and to the engineer and the conductor on that train. It was surely traumatic for them, a life changing event.

But I want to comment on the actions of the rest of the MBTA; how the tragic affair affected the rest of the passengers and there were many as it was rush hour.

So let me start at the top. We left the MFA and decided to walk (I know, I’m a glutton for punishment) because I wanted to get some pictures at the Christian Science Center. It is a beautiful spot and I recommend that anyone visiting Boston take a minute to  stop by.

Using the benches along the sidewalk and taking frequent rest stops, I was finally able to get to the Christian Science Center and get some pictures. Yea!

After another rest stop it was back to the OP Shuffle (No offence but it’s the “old person” shuffle. As a card-carrying member of AARP I can say that. I was bent over and had to shuffle my feet . I couldn’t pick them up) Pretty funny now but it wasn’t at the time.

We stopped at Border’s Cafe for a fruit smoothy and then hooked up with the Green Line. If I had hopes of relief there I was sorely (Pun intended) mistaken. It was standing room only and even though it was 4:30 (rush hour) we had to wait 30 minutes for a train, not the normal 10-15.

Arriving at Park St we changed to the Red Line where conditions were no better. We finally got on a train where we hung from poles and straps and my back screamed in protest. I was counting the stops when 2 stops from where the car was parked we were thrown off the train.  A medical emergency in Wollaston we were told. You’ll have to take a shuttle bus.

We were herded off the train and up to the platform where there was 1 bus. Yup, just one. I took advantage of our misfortune by snagging a seat on a bench but the relief was short-lived. It was quickly apparent that if we wanted to have any chance of getting in a shuttle that we would have to stand on the curb and push into the fray when the buses pulled in.

We got on the 4th or 5 th bus..standing room only..again. As the bus pulled into Wollaston Station we saw the crime scene tape and the ME’s van pulling out. We knew it was something bad then. The few passengers for Wollaston exited and the bus turned around to take the majority of us to Quincy Center where we would get off the bus and back onto the train. Standing room only…again.

One of the other passengers used her cell phone to get the latest news and told us a man had been hit by the train in front of ours. That was all we knew and as I write this it is all I have been able to find out.

We finally made it to Quincy Adams Station where my car was parked. As we exited the garage we did a time check, 7:15! 2 hours an 15 minutes for a ride that shouldn’t have taken more than 1 hour! I dropped Nancy off about 15 minutes later and pulled into my complex at 8pm.

The sad part of all this is that this is not the first accident like this on the “T”. I tried to get the numbers of similar incidents for 2011 but couldn’t find any however I did find plenty of news clips about train hits and close calls going back to 2009. So I can’t help but wonder, what steps have the MBTA taken to prevent these kinds of accidents? And with experience with this type of thing, why aren’t they more prepared to provide for their other passengers? No one wants accidents or injuries but that’s why they are called accidents. Shouldn’t the T have contingency plans in place? Our driver said he didn’t even know what station he was supposed to be driving to! I give the “T” a C- for their response to the emergency.

As for my back, a visit to my doctor secured some muscle relaxants and although not 100%, I am well along on the road to recovery!

Into Boston to the MFA on the MBTA

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It’s a  beautiful Monday in June. The Sun is shining and there’s a nice breeze, a perfect day for a little jaunt into Boston. I had to make a brief stop in Randolph and then I was parking at the Quincy Adams T-station for a ride on the red line.

I was meeting my friend Nancy at the MFA (Museum of Fine Arts) on Huntington Ave, Boston. I wanted to see the Chihuly Exhibit. I became enamoured of his work when I saw a chandelier in a casino at the Atlantis Resort in Nassau the Bahamas. I remember I stopped dead and exclaimed” WOW Look at that!”. Luckily the friends I was with knew the piece was a “Chihuly” . That one introduction made such an impression that 7 years later I recognized the name when I heard about the exhibit.

It’s a temporary collection so I was anxious to get into see it before it moved on.

I hadn’t been to the MFA in years so I checked the web page for  the address  and their directions for coming in on the MBTA. I also went to the MBTA web site and entered my start and end location in their “trip planner”.  Both advised to take the redline to Downtown crossing and change to the orange line. Get off at Copley Place and walk 7 minutes to the MFA.

Flower Vendor in Copley Square

Be warned…they are wrong! A better way is to take the red line to Park St. Station and change to the Green line. One of the green line trolleys stops right in front of the MFA! But I didn’t have that information when I started out so in Copley I asked directions from a doorman who directed me down Huntington..maybe a 10 minutes walk. He must be a runner because even a jogger wouldn’t have got there in 10 minutes.

I walked and walked and periodically asked directions always being told to keep walking. Along the way I took pictures of the sights of Boston. Boston is a great city for strolling and enjoying the sights. It’s full of history and old buildings with wonderful architecture.

 I also saw the green line trolley stops and could have grabbed a trolley at any one of them but the people I asked made it sound like I was almost there each time  I asked.

City Reflections

It was a beautiful day for a walk but I had hurt my back a couple of days before and was not at 100%.

Duck Tours

 Where I started out strong as I continued to walk my lower back began to spasm and pretty soon my thighs were burning, then my knees.

Old Town Trolley! The Best Trolley in Boston

By the time I reached the Christian Science building I was done in. I wasn’t even taking pictures anymore .Just cut me off at the waist and give me a new lower body all I wanted to do was to find the that museum. By the time I spotted the MFA even my ankles and feet hurt. I was hot, thirsty, in pain and cranky and it only made it worse when my friend Nancy pointed out the Green line stop right in front of the building.

Appeal to the Great Spirit at the MFA

 I’m not used to having to cry “uncle” over a simple walk but this one nearly “did me in.”

Appeal to the Great Spirit

At the ticket booth I told them I had a complaint about their website. I told them how following their directions put me in Copley Square and that it was not an easy 7 minute walk like it said on their web page. The girl at the desk wasn’t even surprised. She said it was a glitch and their IT guys were working on it! No ‘I’m sorry ‘ or anything as she swung right back into her speech about upgrading to a membership!

It was now 1 pm so Nancy & I decided to have lunch in the cafeteria and let me cool off. I got my first glimpse of the exhibit on the way to the cafeteria.

Chihuly

 I think it ‘s going to be worth the aggravation.

Inside the MFA

There’s a restaurant and a cafeteria. The restaurant is quite pricey so we went to the cafeteria. That wasn’t too bad. They had the usual cafeteria fare; hot dogs, hamburgers, salads, pizza, chicken fingers, things like that. I settled for a slice of pizza and a large cold bottled water. I added a package of cookies for desert. That totalled out at about $7.00. I would have gotten a discount if I had a membership.

We took our time over lunch so by the time we headed off to the exhibit my frame of mind, if not my body was in a much better place.