Attention: TDR Forum Junkies 
Short Version:
Having found out yesterday at about 8:30am that the Truck Nationals were canceled I decided I was up for a road trip and wasn't about to let the crummy weather slow me down any. Hopped in my truck and made the 4 hour drive from Cape Cod to Mt. Washington and then the drive up, down and 4 hours back home. Combined with a couple pit stops for fuel and food along with some sightseeing in the Nat'l Forest, it turned into an almost 12 hr day on the road but one I wish I could do every day.
Details:
After making up my mind about what to do with the day, planning the route, gathering cold weather and rain gear (more on this later) and having breakfast, my wife and I were on the road by 11am.
Our route took us up I-93 through Boston and into NH. We continued up through Franconia Notch and saw for the first time the remains of the Old Man. It was amazing to see something of that magnitude just gone, a natural feature I'd seen on almost every trip to my grandparent's house for as long as I can remember.
Once through the Notch we hopped on Rt-3 to NH-302 across to NH-16 before arriving at the auto road up the mountain. In the course, cutting through the Nat'l Forest a few more times and seeing some of the most beautiful landscape I think the northeast has to offer. The leaves are starting to change and the color is amazing.
For those who have never driven up the auto road, I will advise against a dual rear wheel equipped truck. The road is wide enough for two vehicles to pass, but barely in some areas and there are no guard rails on the (steep) downhill side. The ride up is beautiful according to my wife (I was too busy watching the narrow road ahead for oncoming traffic) and provided with admission is a CD or audio cassette with some history and facts on the historic roadway.
The view from the top is awe inspiring. I've been up several times and shot through several rolls of film at the top but never been able to truly capture the feeling, it must be seen firsthand. We were clouded over and in rain with 44 degree temperatures and 43mph winds (remember that cold weather gear). With a couple breaks in the clouds parts of the road were visible snaking back and forth up the side of the mountain. I was amazed at the climb and almost dreaded the descent.
After climbing around the peak for a while and taking in the view it was finally time to get my frozen self back to a warmer environment. The descent was not as bad as I thought it would be. As with the climb, set the transmission in first gear (2wd automatic) and let the engine do the braking most of the way down. The audio is broken into two parts so you have some listening for the descent as well. More history as well as some fun facts about the road.
Once at the bottom and warm, our stomachs awoke and let us know we were hungry. A quick look at the map and we headed down NH-16 to N. Conway. Driving into town we passed the Moat Mountain Smokehouse and Brewing Co. , and being the type of person who is into that sort of thing, quickly turned back and made the stop. Well worth it! The food was excellent, started with their flatbread and hummus, then onto a chili burger with cajun fries for myself and a blue cheese burger with fries for her. Sampled a couple of their fine brews and brought home a growler of their Cathedral Ledge Lager.
From the brewery we set off south on 16 through Conway to rt-112 (Kancamagus Hwy) and another scenic drive through the Nat'l Forest on our way back to I-93. The drive home was in the dark and pretty uneventful but the whole trip was well worth it.
If anyone is interested in a route map or directions I'd be glad to provide them, if you've never made it to the top of Mt. Washington, we're just entering the best time of year to go, take a day or two and make the trip!
Cheers,
Eammon
Having found out yesterday at about 8:30am that the Truck Nationals were canceled I decided I was up for a road trip and wasn't about to let the crummy weather slow me down any. Hopped in my truck and made the 4 hour drive from Cape Cod to Mt. Washington and then the drive up, down and 4 hours back home. Combined with a couple pit stops for fuel and food along with some sightseeing in the Nat'l Forest, it turned into an almost 12 hr day on the road but one I wish I could do every day.
Details:
After making up my mind about what to do with the day, planning the route, gathering cold weather and rain gear (more on this later) and having breakfast, my wife and I were on the road by 11am.
Our route took us up I-93 through Boston and into NH. We continued up through Franconia Notch and saw for the first time the remains of the Old Man. It was amazing to see something of that magnitude just gone, a natural feature I'd seen on almost every trip to my grandparent's house for as long as I can remember.
Once through the Notch we hopped on Rt-3 to NH-302 across to NH-16 before arriving at the auto road up the mountain. In the course, cutting through the Nat'l Forest a few more times and seeing some of the most beautiful landscape I think the northeast has to offer. The leaves are starting to change and the color is amazing.
For those who have never driven up the auto road, I will advise against a dual rear wheel equipped truck. The road is wide enough for two vehicles to pass, but barely in some areas and there are no guard rails on the (steep) downhill side. The ride up is beautiful according to my wife (I was too busy watching the narrow road ahead for oncoming traffic) and provided with admission is a CD or audio cassette with some history and facts on the historic roadway.
The view from the top is awe inspiring. I've been up several times and shot through several rolls of film at the top but never been able to truly capture the feeling, it must be seen firsthand. We were clouded over and in rain with 44 degree temperatures and 43mph winds (remember that cold weather gear). With a couple breaks in the clouds parts of the road were visible snaking back and forth up the side of the mountain. I was amazed at the climb and almost dreaded the descent.
After climbing around the peak for a while and taking in the view it was finally time to get my frozen self back to a warmer environment. The descent was not as bad as I thought it would be. As with the climb, set the transmission in first gear (2wd automatic) and let the engine do the braking most of the way down. The audio is broken into two parts so you have some listening for the descent as well. More history as well as some fun facts about the road.
Once at the bottom and warm, our stomachs awoke and let us know we were hungry. A quick look at the map and we headed down NH-16 to N. Conway. Driving into town we passed the Moat Mountain Smokehouse and Brewing Co. , and being the type of person who is into that sort of thing, quickly turned back and made the stop. Well worth it! The food was excellent, started with their flatbread and hummus, then onto a chili burger with cajun fries for myself and a blue cheese burger with fries for her. Sampled a couple of their fine brews and brought home a growler of their Cathedral Ledge Lager.
From the brewery we set off south on 16 through Conway to rt-112 (Kancamagus Hwy) and another scenic drive through the Nat'l Forest on our way back to I-93. The drive home was in the dark and pretty uneventful but the whole trip was well worth it.
If anyone is interested in a route map or directions I'd be glad to provide them, if you've never made it to the top of Mt. Washington, we're just entering the best time of year to go, take a day or two and make the trip!
Cheers,
Eammon
I remember tuning to a popular 2-meter repeater frequency... . keying the mic and hearing 8 different repeater tones come back at me. :-laf
I can also claim to have been at the highest point in eastern North America, which, unless you work there, is usually impossable. The highest point is the top of the weather tower on the main building. This past summer my friend was working as a park ranger up there. Come to think of it, I should get in touch with him and find out how it was. 
)
It's not really all that hard to find, but the parking is the MAJOR problem. 
This body hiked Mt. Washington but I didn't go to the summit because I would have been PI$$ED if I saw a vehicle DRIVE up after I spent 3HRS HIKING THE MOST DIFFICULT TRAIL!!!!
) that was. 
