The Fool on the Hill

A sunny day as we set out for Mt. Washington with Brian. As we drove north of N. Conway we passed through the town of Bartlett, NH. Can't help but wonder if the show, West Wing didn't get the president's name from this burg. Stopped to take pictures as this was one of our favorite TV shows. Onward to lunch and then the cog railway station on the north side of the mountain.

The cog railroad was started in 1869 and still running up the mountain with bio diesel engines replacing the original wood fired engines. The steepest grade is 37.41% and the seats are slanted forward going up so you ride comfortably.

At the top it is cloudy and you can barely see anything. the height is 6288' and is the highest summit in the northeastern US. They boast some of the worst weather in the world with temperatures below zero over 65 days a year. It was cold and windy and we bundled up in our sweatshirts and wished we had worn long pants.

Inside the weather observatory building there was no wind and we visited the small museum and gift shop. Then we ventured outside to the observation deck with high winds and no view. We went into the Tip Top House built in 1853 to accommodate visitors. The we climbed over rocks to the actual summit where we braved the wind for photos.

Time for the return train to the bottom and sunshine. We drove through the Franconia Notch area and had dinner at the Woodstock Inn. Now we are back at camp and relaxing with some Beatles music. A fun day.