Road trip to New Hampshire--8/19/05->8/21/05

I visited one of my all-time closest friends, Jeff, whom I've known since high school, this past weekend when I finally made the 400-mile road trip from southeast Pennsylvania to New Hampshire. Jeff has lived there for some time and has come down to Pennsylvania several times on work-related trips over the past two years, but this is the first time I've made the trip north to New England. The drive was horrendous, but the visit was very enjoyable. Jeff and Christine greeted me with a lobster boil and many good beers that we enjoyed on the balcony of their house in the country.

On Saturday, we decided to go to the top of Mt. Washington (Christine wanted to go to Boston, but I said I wanted to see outdoor stuff while it was summer and would come back again to see Boston another time) and stopped in Concord on the way. I snapped this picture of the New Hampshire state capitol, and the quaint little farmer's market that takes place in the street right next to the capitol building.

We traveled through piny woods and past clear lakes and through hamlets and the occasional traffic jam on our way up to Mt. Washington.

The forecast for the peak of Mt. Washington, renowned as having the worst weather in the world, was not good, and more than halfway up the mountain, things were already looking kinda treacherous.

This is what our view looked like almost the entire way beyond 4,000 feet.

If it wasn't rain, it was fog.

Jeff with his "Aren't you glad we came, Timmy?" look.

Jeff hanging on the dear life at the park sign at the summit. Conditions at the summit were Temp=45, Wind Speed=45, Visibility=25 ft.

I have conquered the mountain. Standing at the summit.

The official U.S. Geological Survey marker at the summit, along with Timo's big toe.

Manning the outpost at the summit.

Pines whose growth has been stunted by the harsh conditions near the summit of Mt. Washington.

The road down the mountain. No guard rails, by the way.

Pine branches.

We stopped at the Mt. Washington Hotel in Bretton Woods on our way home. The historic hotel opened in 1902 and has a great view of the mountain and the cog railway that operates between the base and the summit of the mountain.

The veranda of the hotel.

We got back to Jeff and Christine's place and made pizza and drank many more good beers before calling it a night. On Sunday, Jeff and I went out and played a round of golf in the morning, stopped at the L.L. Bean Factory Store in Concord and then headed down to Massachusetts where Christine's parents were hosting a party. I headed back to PA from there.




Jeff displays his masterful golf swing.

The sandal-wearing author shoots one over the water in true Bohemian style.