The Cog Railroad on a Clear Day

   

If you are in the Mt Washington State Park in New Hampshire, you would do well to take a ride on the Cog Railway to the top of Mt Washington.  Do this on a clear day, and you will be rewarded with some of the most magnificent vistas east of the Mississippi.  Be warned Mt Washington creates its own weather.  It may be warm at the base station and it could be snowing on top.  Today it was 54 degrees in the sun at base and with wind chill, -11 degrees at the top!

   

The Cog Steam Engine Returns from the Top of Mt Washington

Each day one steam driven train sets out at 9:15 am.  The remaining trains are all bio-diesel. The steam train was booked for today, 10/15.   We figured the other trains couldn’t be booked, it was after Columbus Day after all.  We left at a comfortable time this morning, around 9:30, which is early for us.

Ammonoosuc Camground

   

We drove the 12 miles from Ammonoosuc Campgrounds to the cog base station.  The base station road runs east from 302.  We had been warned that some GPS units will route you to the wrong side of Mt Washington!  We saw practically no other vehicle on our drive to the station.  Parking was easy, though I was surprised at the number of cars.  We parked in the third lot down from upper parking!  At the ticket office we were told, “I can get you on the 2:30 train.”  ???  It was 10:10 am.  The Cog Railway was BUSY!  The gal said, “Oh wait, I can get you two on the 12:30, be at platform A at 12:00”.   Now I would recommend ordering tickets ahead of time on-line.  The Cog Railway:  more information

The Original Steam Engine

Two hours can make a huge difference.  At 10 am the skies were clear, it was cold in the shade with a bit of a breeze at the base.   The weather in the presidential range is notorious, it can change drastically in a few hours.  The world recorded wind speed of 253 MPH was set in 2010 on the top of Mt Washington.  The mountain creates its own weather.

   

Climbing Mt Washington, the Presidential Range New Hampshire

Mt Washington’s cog railway is the first one built in the world. It runs from the base at 2100 feet to the top at 6288 feet.  It has an average grade of 25% with a maximum of 37.4%.  It was first operational in 1868 and has been in constant operation since, but with regularly upgraded equipment.    still more information

   

Looking Back

 

We explored the train station, walked around outside, and had lunch at the restaurant.  In the museum we saw a very interesting video loop describing the history of the railway and the technology.  Delayed, we were far back in the embarkation line and sat toward the back of the single car.  There are no bad seats, though the seats at the front of the car both ascending and descending are the best.  The car brakeman, Andrew, regaled us with stories and jokes about the railway, the car’s design, the tracks, and sights we passed.  He mentioned that New Hampshire’s famous “the Old Man in the Mountain”  collapsed.  His name was changed to “Cliff”.   see this composite image

The ride to the top goes quickly. It does not feel like an hour ride.  About half way up the tracks double up and up and down bound trains pass each other.   The air temperature grows much colder nearer the top and the wind picks up on the ridge.

   

When we left the base it was 54 degrees.  At the top the temp was -11 with wind chill.  It was cold.   The warming hut I thought I remembered from 40 years ago, is no more.  Perhaps I’m remembering the Tip Top Hut.  Today there is a large warm building that houses a restaurant, a gift shop, and a hiker’s information desk.  We headed inside right away waiting for the crowd outside to disperse; some boarding the trains back down the mountain, others milling about until the cold got the better of them.  In a short time we went back outside to explore in relative peace.

   

We saw a glider decouple from its plane and soar below us.  We marveled at the vista of fall colors.  The trees to the north were past peak while the trees to the south looked to be peaking.  There was significantly more red color to the south.

   

The Tip Top House

 

   

Inside the Tip Top House

 

   

We were freezing.  We popped into a small hut to warm up and found ourselves in a small souvenir nut.  The scent of pine filled the hut.  Ellen found a sweat shirt she liked and I came very close to buying a balsam pillow.  Once we warmed up, we headed back to the main building for cocoa and apple cider.  The hiker’s desk was not busy.  I asked about Tuckerman’s Ravine and we were off.  Kevin and I discussed Tuckerman’s, skiing Mt Washington, the east coast, Tahoe, new skis designs, snow quality.  We had a great time until we noticed the queue for the train down the mountain.  This time we were at the end of the line and were separated on the ride down.  It was no problem, Ellen sat behind me and often warmed my ears.  There really is no bad seat on the car.  The views on the way down were stellar.  The skies were clear, though we had seen clouds blowing past the mountain top.

   

Descending, can you find Ellen?

We thawed out at the bottom, both agreeing that this day was “awesome”.  Remembering the chili the restaurant served for lunch, we visited the base station restaurant to find gaping holes in the counter where the soup and chili pots had been.  No Problem, the counter guy said, we have lots.  We bought two pints to heat for dinner later.  Next, in the gift shop I mentioned in an off hand way that I’d like to see a moose in the flesh.  A local standing beside me told me where I might find some Moose, their habits, and Ellen mentioned the declining moose population caused by ticks.  We were off on a wide ranging discussion about: climate change, life style, ticks (his dog never had an issue with ticks until three years ago, now he sees deer ticks all the time, some moose have over a thousand ticks on them and they’re anemic) and population growth as the cause of “it all”.  People have the time to stop and engage in conversation here.  Is it just New York and New England?  I’ll pay closer attention as we work our way back west in four or six weeks.

We headed toward Franconia Notch thinking we could get south of the notch and setup camp before nightfall.   On the way we stopped at a road-side outlook.

   

There are a number of campsites in and around the notch and more than a few to the north and south.  We settled on “Country Bumpkins” in Lincoln.  They are open through the end of October (the owner said; not really, they close next week).  They have a variety of options for hookups from full to electric only, they have WiFi, and cable.

Setting up camp is usually as simple as pushing an electric plug into a socket, screwing a water filter into a spigot, quick-connecting our water hose to the filter and to the RV, and pushing out the slide-out.  In warmer weather we might pull out an outdoor mat, chairs, and a BBQ and unfurl the awning, but when it’s cold less is more.  In the cold we are quickly mobile; breaking camp can be done in a flash.

As usual, we drove past the campsite, turned around, and checked in.  There was a couple from England ahead of us.  Carl and his GF flew from Surrey to Boston and rented an RV for two weeks to tour New Hampshire and Massachusetts.   We had a good time talking about our trips, his work (an architect), and the future.  Carl was fascinated to think that he could just drop everything and be an RV nomad full time.  He’s been bitten by the romance of the open road and the beauty of New England in the fall.

We’re now snug in The Beast, the heater is workin’ away,

 

Up the next morning to the patter of light rain.  It’s overcast but not raining now.  We’ll stay another day at Country Bumpkin Campground.  The site we were at last night, #38, is taken tonight.  Amy wrote out a list of available sites, we walked the campground and chose #26.  26 has a clear view to the south.

Amy is a warm caring woman.  She’s fun and it is easy to while away half an hour simply chatting with her.  Amy’s warmth extends to the campground.  It is nestled in a small wooded valley with a creek flowing through the campground that flows into a river.  They have Country Bumpkin photo walls.  You know the type, a painting of two or three people with oval head cut-outs.  You put your head in the oval and you’ve got your very own country bumpkin photo.  The campground office closes at 9 pm; quite late for an RV campground. The campground is closing for the year this Sunday, 10/18, with no overnight camping on Sunday.  Campground availability is closing down.

Amy said she and her family stay year-round.  She starts taking reservations for 2016 in January.

Today we’ll visit the towns of Franconia, Lincoln and Woodstock, maybe take the walk to The Flume weather permitting.