Mount Washington, NH

This is an interesting place to visit if you ever come to NH. 6,288 ft.
http://www.mountwashington.org/

Current conditions:
http://www.mountwashington.org/weather/conditions.php

Yep, did that when I was a kid, around 1974. My parents got a bumper sticker that said "I climbed Mount Washington". If I remember correctly, we were looking DOWN at the clouds.

On a clear day, you can see the ocean...just a little sliver. I was lucky enough to be up there for that one clear day. The sticker says "This car climbed Mt Washington". Recently, anyone with that sticker got to go up for free. Last time I was up there two fighter jets buzzed the mountain. It was pretty neat. Also, when you look down and see the clouds, they call that "under-cast"

and right down the road a bit another must see is the "Flume" some of those glaicer bolders are just monsterous with those freaky trees growing on them!! franconia notch or Gorham......

Great place! Rode my Harley up that mountain road inches from a 3K foot drop ... or more, on dirt!!




The thing that pisses me off about that place is that they retired the steam locomotive that used to climb the HUGE 1.5 hour trip to the summit EVERY DAY, as it had for the past 100+ years , ....in favor of the ECO-FREINDLY diesel power!!


Never got a chance to ride steam to the summit. Couldn't afford it before. I finally had a chance a while back, only to find out they switched to diesel to keep the treehuggers happy!

I'll keep my cash & spend it on tax-free liquor instead ......

Well not to bash the sign ...err yea I'm going to bash it, that's nothin... I rode around a great portion of Arizona, California, Utah and Colorado... Here's my sign picture heading into the Sierra Nevada's just above Yosemite, the back route into Yosemite was still closed end of May as it was still snowed in. The sign is probably the understatement of the year, the grade was certainly an issue but the turns would have been the bigger problem. Tractor trailer would never make it. We actually got stuck on another road in Phoenix as some guy tried to take short cut. They had tow truck on the front of the truck and one behind it. They had to lift his ass end up to get him around the corners.

Here is a screen shot from the Mount Washington Observation Deck Camera that I captured on October 29, 2006.

Oh ya! Mt Washington...it's up there! My wife & I went up on a 1000cc Gold Wing Honda once. Near the top is a sharp turn, almost a U-turn, then it gets very steep. Those that have been up know where I mean. The tar has ended, it's just a bare rock road at that point. Right in the steepest part the idiot driving the car in front of us stopped to take a picture. I had no choice but to stop behind him. It too both front and rear brakes together to hold us. When the car left, his tires spun and he had trouble to get going, but he did, and left. My wife asked "How come you're not leaving?" Well, ya know, I was gathering courage...even now telling the story it makes my heart pitter patter... I said to her "This is where you earn your motorcycle license". To the right of us is a rock wall, to the left of us is where the Roadrunner drops rocks onto the coyote. I gave the engine about 6 grand of throttle and the clutch one hot supper. It was the one and only time that I felt the front end of a Gold Wing be light. Obviously I'm here typing, so we made it, but, wow.

Personally I would never take an automatic transmission car up there. You want something that you can leave in second gear and coast most of the way down. It's really hard on brakes and transmissions.

The Coal fired boilers on the locomotives were a joy to watch from a distance, but they were just what we don't need when folks need to be educated about 'clean coal'. It must have been 'bit', because anthracite couldn't be that nasty!!! The car the locomotive pulled was covered in soot, the young guys stokin' the beast were covered AND it wasn't fun to shovel your butt off feeding that boiler. The 'half way up stop' for the necessary water replenishment gave a moment to reflect on the the beauty of the area. The REALLY cool stories of workers riding down the cog rails on little sleds like a luge were the stuff of legends! Imagine free wheeling down a slope in a couple minutes that took an hour to climb in a choo-choo.

Certain 'other parts of the body' must have had dominance over brain function!!!!!! That was stopped years ago when the inevitable happened......but what a rush. Evil K would not have tried what these guys did daily(in season, when the boss was looking the other way).

No one mentioned that it is MUCH cooler up top, so bring appropriate clothes if on the 'Cog ride' or on the Auto Road '.
By the way, you can take a 'van ride' up to the top in safety from the North Conway side. The drivers narrate sometimes and make the trip enjoyable while you look out at breathtaking cliffs and views. No, it's not Colorado or the Blue Ridge Mts., but darned impressive for this part of the NE.
Most of you probably know that the highest wind speed ever recorded occurred on "The Rock" on April 12, 1934.
234 MPH would be a bad draft day....or an extremely good one.....
http://www.mountwashington.org/about/vi ... rdwind.php -

There is a cool visitors center at the top, (and gift shop) weather memorabilia, and the National WX Service Station, too.

Twice that I've been up in recent years there were hang gliders taking off from the sheer rock faces in route to a landing in the Auto Road parking lot. BOLD colors against the gray rock, plus the view over at the ocean near Portland,Me.
Back on the western side at the base off I-93, don't miss a cool refreshing walk along the Flume Gorge, but be in fairly good shape to walk the entire park. We love visitors here and have lots to offer....for a small state!

Be advised however, that visibility is always a concern at MT. Washington, so check wx forecasts and visibility reports before riding the rails, walking or driving to the summit. PS: the walk to the top is about 3.5 hrs AND about 3600 calories. Good cardio!! (and you can take the Cog Rail car down because your legs have 'turned to rubber').

One of our members is VERY familiar with the MT and the Cog...look for the avitar with the Cog Pic.

I rode my ultra to the top in '07 and yes that 900# bike had me thinkin up near the top on the dirt. I was glad for the 110 cid engine on the down hill run as the compression kept the brakes cool. Had changed out the pads to the LRB ones so the grabbed better but was dragging the timeout trailer.

the view was stunning. the highest windspeed on the planet earth recorded there . most impressive was at the base in that resturant they had the 1909 stanley steemer car that climed it in reverse I believe!!
all those pics are on another computer.....dang

Freddy wrote:
Personally I would never take an automatic transmission car up there. You want something that you can leave in second gear and coast most of the way down. It's really hard on brakes and transmissions.

How many enterprising mechanics have opened brake shops at the bottom of the mountain?

It's not that intimidating, heck, the antique cars make the run in the fall, and we ALL know about their brakes. They sometimes overheat, but mostly do an excellent job. They bike race up, road race, car race...and they have the van drivers that show you there is NO substitute for CUBIC INCHES! They do modify the discs for sure; larger diameter, triple pads, blah, blah, blah. K&N filters, super coolers on the Allison Trans....just a few tricks.

To all those who haven't been there, DON'T stop in a corner, or anywhere not posted for parking. Most bad situations are caused by some flathead 'adjusting their pantyhose' in the middle of a perfectly safe corner. There are rest room facilities at the top if you should have an accident within your clothes. Otherwise, just keep motoring to the large parking area at the top. Get out...take a huge breath of some crisp air, and enjoy the view.

For Richard, we do go skiing in Tuckerman's Ravine into June of every year, and you can see that area as you crest the Mountain. A mile high may not compare to Colorado, but it is significant here.

For those who wonder about the 'acid rain' we get from the Ohio River Valley; it has a Ph of about 3.4. Wonder what is killing trees around here? That is about the same level of acidity as Coke or Pepsi. Swish it around in you mouth, then image the rainfall in our lakes, rivers and watershed. The fish aren't too happy about it either.

Don't miss the foliage starting around the end of this month through the Columbus day weekend. Yes, the swamp Maples have already turned crimson, and are shedding leaves, but that makes it easier to spot the Moose munching in the marshes.

The last time I went there before '06 on the Harley, I took my '86 Grand Marquis up to the summit, pissing coolant the whole way! The stream of coolant was directed right at the #8 plug wire causing it to arc out. Still made it I got my bumper sticker LOL!

What causes you to burn your brakes up are all the people in front of you scared to death to go more than 3 MPH. If it were up to me, I'd throw it in second & coast.

SMITTY wrote:The last time I went there before '06 on the Harley, I took my '86 Grand Marquis up to the summit, pissing coolant the whole way! The stream of coolant was directed right at the #8 plug wire causing it to arc out. Still made it I got my bumper sticker LOL!

What causes you to burn your brakes up are all the people in front of you scared to death to go more than 3 MPH. If it were up to me, I'd throw it in second & coast.

thats exactly the issue. I kept the bike in first and just hung back while the scaredy cat yuppie in thier late model 3 series bimmer tried to boil thier brake fluid and burn out the 3rd brake lite!!

Poconoeagle wrote: thats exactly the issue. I kept the bike in first and just hung back while the scaredy cat yuppie in thier late model 3 series bimmer tried to boil thier brake fluid and burn out the 3rd brake lite!!

LOL.... "Duh... After the D, whats that 2 and 1 for, on the shifter?"