Janet and I had planned to go on an Alaskan Cruise from July 3rd to July 10th.  After that, we were going to rent a car and drive from Vancouver, B.C. to Portland, OR and visit old friends.  Needless to say, the cruise was cancelled and our summer was left pretty empty except for a trip to KC to see the family in early August. Our friends, Dillard, Laurie, Pam, and Mike came to the rescue with an idea to travel north to the White Mountains for an extended weekend.  Having nothing else to do, we enthusiastically said yes!

Our first destination was to take the Cog Railway to the top of Mount Washington.  Mount Washington is certainly not as spectacular as one of the peaks we would have seen in the Pacific Northwest, but it does have its claims to fame.  Known for having recorded the fasted wind speed felt by man, this mountain stands above the others in the range at 6,228 ft. Hikers make the journey to the summit in about 3-4 hours. There is a road that cars can take as well. Our journey was on the first Cog Railway to be built. An engine powers a large cog that than anchors into slots between the rails. The cog locks at every click preventing the engine and the coach from ever free falling down the mountain. The engine pushes the coach up the mountain and then eases it back down, always staying down mountain of the car.  We were socially distanced in our seats and prepared for spectacular views.  Unfortunately the cloud cover prevented us from seeing very far after we reached the tree line.  Still, it was fun to be at the top. We spent an hour wandering around with the other guests and posing for pictures. After the hour we dutifully lined up at the purple coach so as to be not put on stand by for the return trip.  As we approached the bottom of the mountain we noticed the clouds had broken for a short period of time. Maybe stand by would have been the right thing to do!

The White Mountains are striped with mountain rivers and water falls. Views like this can be had by the mile. Our guide on the Cog Rail had mentioned seeing some spectacular falls down the road. Turns out we missed those falls, but these were beautiful too.  After the sight seeing we were all getting kind of hangry so we made our way to Littleton and checked in to the hotel. Fortunately, a 99 Restaurant was within walking distance. We enjoyed an outdoor meal and picked up some essentials at the neighboring grocery store. The hotel was equipped with an indoor pool and hot tub that we put to good use.

The next day was rainy so we rescheduled our plans to see the Flume Gorge of Franconia Notch till Saturday and went into town to explore.  Littleton is a vibrant little mountain town with antique stores, restaurants, and other curiosities. An old mill on the river has been converted into a brewery and restaurant and a covered bridge expands the walking trail along the waterway.

The clouds cleared up nicely by dinner. We found a beautiful place to eat called the Adair Country Inn and Restaurant. Our table was outside in the gardens making for perfect ambiance to a wonderful meal. There are few things better in life than to enjoy a meal with friends in beautiful surroundings.

There appear to be many inn and restaurant establishments throughout the White Mountains. The following morning we enjoyed breakfast at one of the more popular of these venues, the Woodstock Inn. Also connected to a brewery, it is not uncommon to see half hour waits at any time during the day. The food is certainly worth the wait, though. The three egg omelette menu included a Kitchen Sink Womlette, which is an omelette waffle combo with everything in the pantry including the kitchen sink. I didn’t have that, but was tempted. After breakfast we explored the little hamlet of Woodstock and found the typical tourist shops one expects at a vacation hot spot.

Shortly after Janet arrived in 2014, we made a trip to the Flume Gorge at Franconia Notch. I wrote about that adventure in Be careful what you suggest-August 2014.  I love the Flume Gorge. It is one of nature’s miraculous water made wonders, much like Watkins Glen in upstate New York or Johnson’s Shut-Ins in the Ozark Mountains of Missouri. The park has done an outstanding job of providing a way for visitors to enjoy this treasure during the pandemic.

All trails are timed for the amount of people and only travel one way. At any other time the trail would only be one way at the actual flume gorge making the trip up and back fairly easy as it doubled back on itself. The one way path is more of the scenic route. Six years ago, I was younger and a bit more in shape. Today’s journey was a little taxing, but the sites were amazing.

The woods in this area are almost mythic. The moss and ferns create a fairy tale quality. And the trees growing from rocks seem almost magical.

Our trip ended back at the visitors center where we eagerly bought more water and ice cream!  I thought it cute that the park takes social distancing seriously!

After some relaxing time in the pool we attempted to go back to the Woodstock Inn for dinner, but as mentioned before, the wait was extremely long. As the hour was already getting late, our stomachs made the decision to eat at a less popular Greek restaurant across the street. Dinner with friends is great no matter the cuisine.

Our adventure came to a close the next morning as we shared one more meal together. Occasionally I’ve dispensed travel advice in this blog. Today’s lesson is that one should find some travel buddies.  Family is great, but friends open up a totally different aspect of traveling. We’ve had the privilege of sharing many excursions with this group and look forward to many more. One part of our conversation this weekend included how diverse the tiny state of New Hampshire is. You can be in city, at the beach, at the lake, or in the mountains all in a couple of hours time. Maybe that’s why it feels easy to live in New England like a tourist.

“Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all.” – Helen Keller