Christmas Tree in Front of Our Trailer 
Wednesday – December 6 – We headed back into
Tuesday – December 5 – Today was a nice day and reasonably warm, not hot mind you but warm. We headed into San Antonio
Monday – December 4 – The duvet was nice and warm last night so that was good. It was in the low 30’s when we got up, I thought it was supposed to be warm down here!! I don’t care if it isn’t really hot, but warm would be nice.
Sunday – December 3 – Still no internet, am I ticked!! Today was cold and cloudy, John couldn’t get out and try out his new ladder to wash the trailer so you know it was cold when he doesn’t do that.
Saturday – December 2 – Today was overcast and cool, the high on the truck thermometer was 61 for a quick moment, but most of the time it was between 57 and 59. Actually, today was a good driving day with being overcast and cool. We drove to
Friday – December 1 – Today was sunny but much cooler, it didn’t get much above 60 but was nice in the sun. I did some laundry and John did some odd jobs. We have been getting quite fed up with the dinette table being unsteady so today John nailed it down so that is rock solid. I did laundry and a few other things, but mainly it was a quiet day. John went out and got propane and diesel so we are set to go tomorrow.
Thursday – November 30 – Wow, what a difference an hour makes – at
Wednesday – November 29 – I was awakened this morning at 4:28 a.m. , the people beside us were leaving and it was their diesel pusher firing up that woke me up. Then when they put it in reverse it made a lot of weird, loud, squealing noises – needless to say I WAS NOT IMPRESSED!!!
Tuesday – November 28 – Another hot, sunny day. We didn’t do much this morning then this afternoon we decided to do some shopping.
Monday – November 27 – Happy Birthday to my sister Pat. Hope you had a good day!
I also enjoyed getting a nice long e-mail from Art, my brother in Australia.
Sunday – November 26 – Today was another lovely day, hot and sunny. We decided to spend the day relaxing so I did some laundry and tidied up a bit then read. John finally got out his summer shirts and shorts and packed away his long sleeved shirts and warmer pants, sorted out some files etc. - not a real exciting day but it was nice just to take it easy.
Saturday –November 25 – This morning was foggy again but it was clear by
Friday – November 24 – We were late getting away this morning waiting for the fog to clear up, figures, the day we want to leave it is foggy! It was about
We drove to New Caney which is just north of
The traffic was good today, we are taking Highway 59 from
Thursday – November 23 – Happy Thanksgiving (or as they say on the radio Happy Turkey Day!). Today was another beautiful, sunny day up in the 70’s – sure do like this weather!
We decided to go to Cracker Barrel for brunch today to celebrate Thanksgiving but didn’t realize they start serving their Thanksgiving dinner so early – we got there about 11 and they were serving the turkey dinner then and the place was a zoo, we had to wait about 40 minutes for a table, but what the heck, we had nothing else to do. I suspect we were the only ones there having breakfast!! I have a small chicken which is now on roasting for dinner so we didn’t want a turkey dinner at noon.
We were surprised to see Wal Mart open so we stopped on our way back and got a few groceries then came back and enjoyed the nice weather. We also got diesel so that we are ready to go in the morning. John cleaned out the back of the truck when we got back and I read, he is now getting us hooked up so that will be one less thing to do in the morning. I have started a Greg Isles book so am looking forward to an evening or reading.
We decided to go to Cracker Barrel for brunch today to celebrate Thanksgiving but didn’t realize they start serving their Thanksgiving dinner so early – we got there about 11 and they were serving the turkey dinner then and the place was a zoo, we had to wait about 40 minutes for a table, but what the heck, we had nothing else to do. I suspect we were the only ones there having breakfast!! I have a small chicken which is now on roasting for dinner so we didn’t want a turkey dinner at noon.
We were surprised to see Wal Mart open so we stopped on our way back and got a few groceries then came back and enjoyed the nice weather. We also got diesel so that we are ready to go in the morning. John cleaned out the back of the truck when we got back and I read, he is now getting us hooked up so that will be one less thing to do in the morning. I have started a Greg Isles book so am looking forward to an evening or reading.
Wednesday – November 22 – Another beautiful warm day, sure do like this sun and warmth. Today was cleaning day, we now sparkle both inside and out. I also packed away my winter clothes and got out the capris, shorts and summer tops.
There is a RV repair place here so after we got set up on Monday we went over to see if they could look at the furnace, the fellow said they were really busy but to check in again yesterday afternoon. We did and they are just too busy to look at it, thankfully it is warm so we only need it in the morning and evening and between the heat pump, catalytic heater and electric heater we have plenty of heat. That is still on our list of things to do sometime but fortunately it is not a big problem now.
We have decided to stay here until Friday, then will head for Corpus Christi, which means doing Houston on Saturday rather than a week day. Looking at the weather forecast it looks pretty good for the next few days, and not as cold at night as it has been.
There is a RV repair place here so after we got set up on Monday we went over to see if they could look at the furnace, the fellow said they were really busy but to check in again yesterday afternoon. We did and they are just too busy to look at it, thankfully it is warm so we only need it in the morning and evening and between the heat pump, catalytic heater and electric heater we have plenty of heat. That is still on our list of things to do sometime but fortunately it is not a big problem now.
We have decided to stay here until Friday, then will head for Corpus Christi, which means doing Houston on Saturday rather than a week day. Looking at the weather forecast it looks pretty good for the next few days, and not as cold at night as it has been.
Tuesday – November 21 – What a gorgeous day it was, up in the high 60’s with a clear blue sunny sky – I love it!!
John went out this morning and got the oil changed on the truck and I did laundry – exciting eh! When he got back he washed the truck, which was badly needed, then this afternoon we back to Arkansas to get some wine and a few other things we missed yesterday. Not a real exciting day but nevertheless we enjoyed it. Tomorrow we plan to lay low as it will be crazy out there with last minute Thanksgiving shopping.
John went out this morning and got the oil changed on the truck and I did laundry – exciting eh! When he got back he washed the truck, which was badly needed, then this afternoon we back to Arkansas to get some wine and a few other things we missed yesterday. Not a real exciting day but nevertheless we enjoyed it. Tomorrow we plan to lay low as it will be crazy out there with last minute Thanksgiving shopping.
Monday – November 20 – Today was a gorgeous sunny day without a cloud in the sky – finally! It is still cool, but was up to 55 today so it is improving. We had a good drive to Texarcana and are at a really nice park, Shady Pines. It has all cement pads with full hookups and is only $18/night, no tax AND IT HAS INTERNET!!
Driving here we were in fall, the trees were changing colour and were pretty but not as bright as we have seen at home. After getting set up we went to Wal Mart and did a huge grocery shopping, boy were we low on stuff. Came back and John bbq’d hamburgers for dinner – yummy. Our new barbecue works really good, thanks kids for a great Christmas present (I know it isn’t Christmas yet but we do have to eat!).
Driving here we were in fall, the trees were changing colour and were pretty but not as bright as we have seen at home. After getting set up we went to Wal Mart and did a huge grocery shopping, boy were we low on stuff. Came back and John bbq’d hamburgers for dinner – yummy. Our new barbecue works really good, thanks kids for a great Christmas present (I know it isn’t Christmas yet but we do have to eat!).
Sunday – November 19 – Well, another mainly cloudy, cool day, it was about 44 most of the day with a very cold wind, but the sun did come out after we cleared Memphis and it was about 50 when we stopped and not so windy. We are at Hazen, Arkansas which is about 50 miles east of Little Rock. Again, lots of dead deer along the side of the road and a number of trucks passed us with deer in the back – successful hunters heading home! We were also surprised at the number of cotton fields that are just in the process of being picked – we had thought it would have all been picked by now. Lots of bales of cotton were still lying in the fields waiting to be taken to the cotton gin.
We picked up Interstate 40 at Memphis and boy did we pick up traffic, up till then it had been quite quiet and nice but 40 has been nothing but trucks, and lots of them! Interstate 40 runs from Wilmington, NC to Bakersfield, CA which is just east of Los Angeles so I guess it is a main route east to west. We were on it this past winter from Arizona to Oklahoma City and it sure wasn’t as busy as today. Hopefully when we pick up 30 south at Little Rock it won’t be so busy. The Arkansas interstates leave a lot to be desired – they have some good spots but lots of really rough parts.
We are planning on going to Texarcana tomorrow and staying there for a few days. The truck needs an oil change, we need groceries, need to do laundry etc. so are planning on staying there probably till Thursday, which is America’s turkey day. The day before (Wednesday) is a zoo on the roads so we are planning on staying put that day! I just checked on Map Point and it is just over 300 km from here to Texarcana.
We are really enjoying the Sirius satellite radio, it is so nice not to have to be looking for radio stations all the time and it is great to listen to the CBC and get some Canadian news. Still no internet – this is getting frustrating!!!
We picked up Interstate 40 at Memphis and boy did we pick up traffic, up till then it had been quite quiet and nice but 40 has been nothing but trucks, and lots of them! Interstate 40 runs from Wilmington, NC to Bakersfield, CA which is just east of Los Angeles so I guess it is a main route east to west. We were on it this past winter from Arizona to Oklahoma City and it sure wasn’t as busy as today. Hopefully when we pick up 30 south at Little Rock it won’t be so busy. The Arkansas interstates leave a lot to be desired – they have some good spots but lots of really rough parts.
We are planning on going to Texarcana tomorrow and staying there for a few days. The truck needs an oil change, we need groceries, need to do laundry etc. so are planning on staying there probably till Thursday, which is America’s turkey day. The day before (Wednesday) is a zoo on the roads so we are planning on staying put that day! I just checked on Map Point and it is just over 300 km from here to Texarcana.
We are really enjoying the Sirius satellite radio, it is so nice not to have to be looking for radio stations all the time and it is great to listen to the CBC and get some Canadian news. Still no internet – this is getting frustrating!!!
Saturday – November 18 – The sun was shining when we left the park but didn’t last, then came out for a while around Indianapolis. The traffic was good and we got to Whittington. IL. before we called it quits for the day. We counted at least 6 dead deer along the side of the road today, that was enough to tell us to get off the road before dark!
We got up this morning and the furnace wouldn’t come on – thankfully we have the heat pump, the catalytic heater and the little ceramic heater so are still nice and cozy, but will have to get the furnace looked at when we stop for a few days. The high today was 48, we’re still looking for sun and warmth.
Talked to Nan and Kel today and to my mom and Mike yesterday, I always feel better after talking to the kids and mom. We talked to Mike and Marg tonight – they are in Fort Lauderdale and enjoying it, they have nice warm weather so we are hoping to pick up the same soon. I still haven’t got the camera out, hopefully soon we will get somewhere where it is worth taking pictures. Still no internet – maybe tomorrow.
We got up this morning and the furnace wouldn’t come on – thankfully we have the heat pump, the catalytic heater and the little ceramic heater so are still nice and cozy, but will have to get the furnace looked at when we stop for a few days. The high today was 48, we’re still looking for sun and warmth.
Talked to Nan and Kel today and to my mom and Mike yesterday, I always feel better after talking to the kids and mom. We talked to Mike and Marg tonight – they are in Fort Lauderdale and enjoying it, they have nice warm weather so we are hoping to pick up the same soon. I still haven’t got the camera out, hopefully soon we will get somewhere where it is worth taking pictures. Still no internet – maybe tomorrow.
Friday – November 17 – Well, here we are on the road again. We got away from Can-Am about 10:30; a late start as when John was putting up one of the jacks it broke so we had to wait while they fixed it. We got everything done that we wanted so now we are looking forward to the winter on the road.
The weather was overcast and cold but at least there was no rain. The high on the car thermometer was 40 and it was quite windy so not real warm out. When we were going through Sarnia/Port Huron there was actually some blue sky and the sun was out for a bit, it didn’t last long but at least we got to see what it looks like! Customs was great - where do you live, where are you going, how long – have a nice day!
We are at the Auburn/Fort Wayne North KOA and there is no internet so this won’t be posted until we find a place with internet, hopefully tomorrow night. There was another couple at Can-Am the last 2 nights from Montreal and they are here at the KOA also, they are heading for Arizona/California but will take 40 across through Missouri, Oklahoma whereas we are heading for Texas so will go down to Memphis then west across to Little Rock then south to the Corpus Christie area.
The weather was overcast and cold but at least there was no rain. The high on the car thermometer was 40 and it was quite windy so not real warm out. When we were going through Sarnia/Port Huron there was actually some blue sky and the sun was out for a bit, it didn’t last long but at least we got to see what it looks like! Customs was great - where do you live, where are you going, how long – have a nice day!
We are at the Auburn/Fort Wayne North KOA and there is no internet so this won’t be posted until we find a place with internet, hopefully tomorrow night. There was another couple at Can-Am the last 2 nights from Montreal and they are here at the KOA also, they are heading for Arizona/California but will take 40 across through Missouri, Oklahoma whereas we are heading for Texas so will go down to Memphis then west across to Little Rock then south to the Corpus Christie area.
Saturday - September 23 – I woke up during the night to heavy rain so was not surprised this morning when we were stuck in our spot and couldn’t get traction. Fortunately the fellow beside us had a tow line and 4x4 so gave us a pull out to solid ground.
We took the back roads to Lewiston and the bridge to Canada and it was a nice drive although not very sunny. I remember that when I was about 10 or so my grandparents, who lived on a yacht in Daytona, brought their home north for the summer and my parents, brother and I met them in Medina, NY and my mom, brother and I stayed on the boat till probably Lockport, where my father was waiting for us. I have a vague recollection of steering the boat through the Erie Canal but thought this might all be a figment of my imagination, but no, we went through Medina today and the canal is there so I was right in my rememberings. Art, do you remember this?
Anyways, we got back to Kincardine late this afternoon and are now installed in our seasonal home. Tonight it is pouring rain but hopefully tomorrow won’t be too bad as we have lots of cleaning to do. Being on the road is hard on the trailer, both inside and out. Once John downloads his pictures I hope to have some good ones to post on my blog, otherwise I will sign off until we are on the road again,
We took the back roads to Lewiston and the bridge to Canada and it was a nice drive although not very sunny. I remember that when I was about 10 or so my grandparents, who lived on a yacht in Daytona, brought their home north for the summer and my parents, brother and I met them in Medina, NY and my mom, brother and I stayed on the boat till probably Lockport, where my father was waiting for us. I have a vague recollection of steering the boat through the Erie Canal but thought this might all be a figment of my imagination, but no, we went through Medina today and the canal is there so I was right in my rememberings. Art, do you remember this?
Anyways, we got back to Kincardine late this afternoon and are now installed in our seasonal home. Tonight it is pouring rain but hopefully tomorrow won’t be too bad as we have lots of cleaning to do. Being on the road is hard on the trailer, both inside and out. Once John downloads his pictures I hope to have some good ones to post on my blog, otherwise I will sign off until we are on the road again,
Friday – September 22 – Another nice warm, sunny day. We got away about 9:30 a.m. and the traffic was pretty heavy on 91 until we got to the Mass turnpike then the traffic wasn’t too bad and there was some nice scenery. We stopped about 5 at Byron, NY and just as we got here it started to spit rain. Fortunately it didn’t last so John was able to bbq.
Janet, you would love this spot – trains about every 15 minutes!! Not too interesting a day being on the road but we will be back in Kincardine tomorrow.
Janet, you would love this spot – trains about every 15 minutes!! Not too interesting a day being on the road but we will be back in Kincardine tomorrow.
Thursday – September 21 – Another beautiful day but a bit cooler with a high in the high 60’s – still that is quite pleasant and I actually like that better than real hot.
Today was kind of a lazy day, we did a short ride to see the countryside south of here but it sure is hard to see much of the ocean. We came back, got groceries to do us till we get home, I did a bit of laundry, we got hooked up and just basically chilled out.
Derrick, today we saw a banner for the Old Lyme first Robotics Competition. Have you ever heard of them? At least now I know what it is all about thanks to you and your participation in the Port Perry Robotics team. Hope you beat em!!
Today was kind of a lazy day, we did a short ride to see the countryside south of here but it sure is hard to see much of the ocean. We came back, got groceries to do us till we get home, I did a bit of laundry, we got hooked up and just basically chilled out.
Derrick, today we saw a banner for the Old Lyme first Robotics Competition. Have you ever heard of them? At least now I know what it is all about thanks to you and your participation in the Port Perry Robotics team. Hope you beat em!!
Wedesday – September 20 – Today we woke up to brilliant sunshine and it was a gorgeous day, in the low 80’s and low humidity. We decided that we would go to Rhode Island and tour a couple of the mansions in Newport. As navigator I suggested that we take the scenic route, 1A and then got us off on the wrong exit. We take 1A but not in the direction we wanted, but man did we see some awesome houses with wonderful views of the ocean,
We did get straightened out and got to Rhode Island and found the mansions, which were actually the summer homes of the rich, and were only used for two months of the year. There were 2 cruise ships in the harbour, one being the Queen Elizabeth II, and we heard one tour guide say that they had over 20 bus tours scheduled for the day, so Newport was a very busy place.
The first mansion we toured was The Breakers which was built for Cornelius Vanderbilt II in the late 1890’s and is a Renaissance Revival structure. The house was built here but all the interior work was done in Italy and then transferred to Newport and put in the house. The architect for the house was Richard Morris Hunt, who also designed the Biltmore House for Cornelius’s brother George. I just can’t begin to describe the opulence of the house and it is just mind boggling that such a place would have been built as a summer home – sure wonder what their winter home in New York was like! The dining room in this place is larger than our condo!!
The second place we toured was The Elms which was finished in 1901 and is an early 20th century copy of the chateau d’Asnieres, a few miles from Paris. This home was built for coal magnate Edward J. Berwind and his wife, who never had children. After their deaths Edward’s sister Julia summered in the home until her death in 1961 at the age of 96. This home was not as lavish or opulent as the Breakers but was never the less very impressive. Both homes had both electric and gas lighting and both had very large bathrooms with marble tubs, dressing tables etc. in the bathroom – very lavish. The pantries in both homes were amazing with all the different sets of dishes, all the crystal etc. Both homes had the pantries on two levels and both had large safes for the silver, which was taken back and forth each year from their permanent home to their summer home. At The Elms we were told that it cost the Berwind’s about $300,000/year to entertain during their stay at The Elms.
We left Newport and again picked up 1A along the coast to Narangasset. It was a very pretty drive with beautiful beaches. We stopped at a state park which was really nice with sites looking out over the ocean but got totally turned off when we got the pricing - $20/night for full hookups for R.I. residents and $35/night for anyone else. I guess they don’t want the tourist trade!!
All in all it was a great day and there were lots of gorgeous homes and beautiful views of the sea.
We did get straightened out and got to Rhode Island and found the mansions, which were actually the summer homes of the rich, and were only used for two months of the year. There were 2 cruise ships in the harbour, one being the Queen Elizabeth II, and we heard one tour guide say that they had over 20 bus tours scheduled for the day, so Newport was a very busy place.
The first mansion we toured was The Breakers which was built for Cornelius Vanderbilt II in the late 1890’s and is a Renaissance Revival structure. The house was built here but all the interior work was done in Italy and then transferred to Newport and put in the house. The architect for the house was Richard Morris Hunt, who also designed the Biltmore House for Cornelius’s brother George. I just can’t begin to describe the opulence of the house and it is just mind boggling that such a place would have been built as a summer home – sure wonder what their winter home in New York was like! The dining room in this place is larger than our condo!!
The second place we toured was The Elms which was finished in 1901 and is an early 20th century copy of the chateau d’Asnieres, a few miles from Paris. This home was built for coal magnate Edward J. Berwind and his wife, who never had children. After their deaths Edward’s sister Julia summered in the home until her death in 1961 at the age of 96. This home was not as lavish or opulent as the Breakers but was never the less very impressive. Both homes had both electric and gas lighting and both had very large bathrooms with marble tubs, dressing tables etc. in the bathroom – very lavish. The pantries in both homes were amazing with all the different sets of dishes, all the crystal etc. Both homes had the pantries on two levels and both had large safes for the silver, which was taken back and forth each year from their permanent home to their summer home. At The Elms we were told that it cost the Berwind’s about $300,000/year to entertain during their stay at The Elms.
We left Newport and again picked up 1A along the coast to Narangasset. It was a very pretty drive with beautiful beaches. We stopped at a state park which was really nice with sites looking out over the ocean but got totally turned off when we got the pricing - $20/night for full hookups for R.I. residents and $35/night for anyone else. I guess they don’t want the tourist trade!!
All in all it was a great day and there were lots of gorgeous homes and beautiful views of the sea.
Tuesday – September 19 – Today was quite a nice day, sunny by late morning and in the 80’s. We decided to do Mystic Seaport and what an interesting place it is. – a recreated 19th century seafaring village. There are the general store, drug store, bank, church, schoolhouse, cooperage, print shop, shipcarver’s shop, houses, tavern etc. There is a boatbuilding shop where they actually build boats and there were many excellent exhibit buildings – one was ship's figureheads which was really interesting. They also have a special exhibit on blacks at sea which was interesting.
There are historic vessels which can be toured and one was the Charles W. Morgan which is an 1841 wooden whaleship. It was interesting to tour it and we had seen a video on whaling and I just couldn’t imagine being on a ship like this for up to 5 years while whaling – not an easy life! The video showed how they stripped the blubber and boiled it for the oil and harvested the semen but other than the outside skin for the blubber and the semen they just threw the rest away.
There was also the L. A. Dunton which is a 1921 fishing schooner and although it wouldn’t be great to be on a fishing boat at least they weren’t gone for up to 5 years at a time! All in all, it was a great day and very interesting and informative.
We got back just as it started to rain so we sat out under the awning for a bit then made dinner. It rained off and on all evening but better in the evening than during the day.
There are historic vessels which can be toured and one was the Charles W. Morgan which is an 1841 wooden whaleship. It was interesting to tour it and we had seen a video on whaling and I just couldn’t imagine being on a ship like this for up to 5 years while whaling – not an easy life! The video showed how they stripped the blubber and boiled it for the oil and harvested the semen but other than the outside skin for the blubber and the semen they just threw the rest away.
There was also the L. A. Dunton which is a 1921 fishing schooner and although it wouldn’t be great to be on a fishing boat at least they weren’t gone for up to 5 years at a time! All in all, it was a great day and very interesting and informative.
We got back just as it started to rain so we sat out under the awning for a bit then made dinner. It rained off and on all evening but better in the evening than during the day.
Monday – September 18 – Well, today was from the mountains to the seashore. We left Twin Mountain, NH and had a good drive to East Lyme, CT and our park is probably about 5 miles from the ocean.
It was a gorgeous day, mainly sunny with highs of about 80 and the traffic wasn’t too bad on the drive and the scenery was gorgeous. We arrived at Aces High RV Park about 3:00 and got set up then I went and did laundry. This is a beautiful park, but the prices for camping in this area are exorbitant, we’re glad we weren’t planning on spending more than 3 or 4 nights here. We now have internet, have to pay for it, but at least we have it and it seems to be good. The weather was nice we sat out till about 7:30 – a real bonus!
Tomorrow we will explore Mystic Seaport, there appears to be lots to see and do there so should be an interesting day.
It was a gorgeous day, mainly sunny with highs of about 80 and the traffic wasn’t too bad on the drive and the scenery was gorgeous. We arrived at Aces High RV Park about 3:00 and got set up then I went and did laundry. This is a beautiful park, but the prices for camping in this area are exorbitant, we’re glad we weren’t planning on spending more than 3 or 4 nights here. We now have internet, have to pay for it, but at least we have it and it seems to be good. The weather was nice we sat out till about 7:30 – a real bonus!
Tomorrow we will explore Mystic Seaport, there appears to be lots to see and do there so should be an interesting day.
Sunday – September 17 – What a funny morning this was, it was nice and sunny when we got up but then by 9:30 it was all overcast with low clouds. Fortunately about noon it cleared off so we decided to take our chance with Mt. Washington. We took the Cog Railway up, which is the world’s first, and oldest, mountain climbing cog railway with the first trip to the summit on July 3, 1869. The railway has vintage steam engines and replica coaches and is quite an experience.
The round trip was 3 hours with about ½ hour at the summit. The train at one point goes up a part that is called Jacob’s Ladder and the incline is 37.1% and the brakeman/tour guide said that the front of the car is 15’ higher than the rear of the car when on the 37.1% incline. Going up the steam engine pushes the coach and going down the engine pulls the coach. Going up we were on the inside seats so didn’t have the greatest view but coming down we got the outside seats and the view was fantastic. It was interesting when another train was passing, on the way up we got the right-of-way and on the way down we had to pull off into a siding and wait for the other train to pass. Each return trip requires a ton of coal and 1000 gallons of water - I wouldn’t want to be the fireman shoveling all that coal into the boiler!! On the way up the windows were open for a while but there were so many cinders blowing in that they got shut to try to keep the dirt out – a wasted effort. On the return trip the windows stayed closed!!
When we got to the summit it was very windy and cool, the view was pretty good but we couldn’t see the ocean or into Quebec, there were too many clouds in the distance. There were lots of hikers on the summit and it looked like it was a good day for hiking. On the way down we saw a hang glider, but with a difference, this one appeared to be hooked up to a motorcycle – go figure!!! At the summit we could just see a bit of the road which you would take if you do the drive up and that was enough for me as it looked very twisty and Kelly had said that it was pretty scary. By taking the railway John could enjoy the scenery and not have to worry about driving.
On the way home we stopped at the Mt. Washington Hotel, what a beautiful place – all white with red trim. The ivy on the building had turned to bright red so was really pretty. We walked around the terrace to see how the other half lives then returned to our home on wheels, which is quite sufficient for us. By the time we got back and hooked up to leave tomorrow it was another late, but good dinner – chicken wings.
The round trip was 3 hours with about ½ hour at the summit. The train at one point goes up a part that is called Jacob’s Ladder and the incline is 37.1% and the brakeman/tour guide said that the front of the car is 15’ higher than the rear of the car when on the 37.1% incline. Going up the steam engine pushes the coach and going down the engine pulls the coach. Going up we were on the inside seats so didn’t have the greatest view but coming down we got the outside seats and the view was fantastic. It was interesting when another train was passing, on the way up we got the right-of-way and on the way down we had to pull off into a siding and wait for the other train to pass. Each return trip requires a ton of coal and 1000 gallons of water - I wouldn’t want to be the fireman shoveling all that coal into the boiler!! On the way up the windows were open for a while but there were so many cinders blowing in that they got shut to try to keep the dirt out – a wasted effort. On the return trip the windows stayed closed!!
When we got to the summit it was very windy and cool, the view was pretty good but we couldn’t see the ocean or into Quebec, there were too many clouds in the distance. There were lots of hikers on the summit and it looked like it was a good day for hiking. On the way down we saw a hang glider, but with a difference, this one appeared to be hooked up to a motorcycle – go figure!!! At the summit we could just see a bit of the road which you would take if you do the drive up and that was enough for me as it looked very twisty and Kelly had said that it was pretty scary. By taking the railway John could enjoy the scenery and not have to worry about driving.
On the way home we stopped at the Mt. Washington Hotel, what a beautiful place – all white with red trim. The ivy on the building had turned to bright red so was really pretty. We walked around the terrace to see how the other half lives then returned to our home on wheels, which is quite sufficient for us. By the time we got back and hooked up to leave tomorrow it was another late, but good dinner – chicken wings.
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