Hank – Today was the last day of rest for my shoulder and traveling by rental car. First we got laundry out of the way. It seemed strange to not be washing any bike clothes. Then we went to the Cog Railway that takes you to the top of Mount Washington, the tallest peak in the U.S. northeast. The train ride was slow, of course, but pretty cool. The greatest slope on the track is 37%. I can’t imagine taking that on on a bicycle. The few buildings along the track look like they were built at an angle but they’re actually level. Check out the photos. The guys who built the track came up with a terrifying way to get back home quickly. They made sleds that rode the tracks down. The fastest alleged speed was about 60 mph.
Mount Washington was windy and cold. It’s the site of the worst weather in the country but today was a great day. Visibility was awesome. The clouds seemed like they were at eye level. But the wind was blowing so hared I had to zip my jacket up all the way. If it was slightly unzipped the free edges would whip back and forth, stinging the heck out of my neck. Plus it helped me stay warm.
We are camped at the Moose Campground near St Johnsbury, VT. We turn the rental car in tomorrow morning about 1/2 mile away from the campground, get back on our bikes, and head east to New Hampshire. I’m hoping my shoulder does well.
Kathy – The cog railway taking us up to the summit of Mount Washington was really awesome. We slowly chugged along as we took in the beautiful landscapes that surrounded us. It took an hour to reach the top. We could see Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine and Canada! Well, according to our guide. It just looked like lots of spectacular mountains to me. The Adirondack mountain rage was in full view along with seeing part of the Appalachian Trail. It was super windy and in the low 40’s at the summit of Mount Washington. My fingers froze up within just a few minutes of being outside. It was so amazing up there that it was totally worth it.
Now we have our campsite set up in St. Johnsbury, Vermont. We return the rental car in the morning snd get back on our bikes. Hopefully Hank’s shoulder will do well…and I will do well climbing all these hills! Wish us both luck! 😄
I’ve backpacked the Presidential Range back in the day. Very cool place!
Glad you are feeling better!
Safe travels.
Bobj
Thank you, Bob. Hope you’re doing well yourself.
The mountains are not WA State mountains….But they are the greatest Northeast mountains to be seen!!!! Even prettier in the Fall with all of the colors!
Safe travels by bike! I hope the shoulder does well. And I hope Kathy handles the climbs with ease…. <3 <3
Myself and 2 buddies backpacked our way to the top of Mt. Washington back in my younger days. It was fun to see the reaction of people who had driven up, when they found out we walked. We had a day at the top similar to yours. Great views and great times. Really enjoying your blogs. Stay safe.
Thank you, Tom. There were a lot of hikers up there that day. Some were not looking forward to the walk back down.