We rode the Mount Washington Cog Railway to the top of Mt. Washington, the highest peak in the northeastern United States at 6,289 ft. The railway is the world's first mountain-climbing cog railway. It was built in the 1860's. Today one steam engine is still in operation and the rest run on bio-diesel. It's a 3-hour trip which includes 1 hour to sightsee or have lunch at the summit. The average grade up the mountain is 25% with a maximum grade of 37.4%. The trains ascend up the mountain at 2.8 mph and descend at 4.6 mph. Each train consists of a locomotive pushing a passenger car up the mountain, descending by going backwards. On a clear day you can see Maine, Vermont, New York and Massachusetts, the Atlantic Ocean and the province of Quebec. The trains have taken over 5 million visitors to the summit since it opened. Of course when we were there the clouds rolled in when we arrived at the summit. It was still a beautiful sight.
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| The boiler on the steam engine is slanted so it remains close to horizontal on the steep track. |
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| Our train waiting to descend |
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| Almost to the top! |
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| The trees aren't slanted--we are! |
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| Weather observatory at the summit |
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| The sun shining through the clouds |
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| The clouds rolling in |
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| Building is chained down because wind velocity of 75 mph is attained over half the days during winter. |
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| Tip Top House is the last of the original structures built at the summit; a stone hotel built in 1853. |
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This is part of the Appalachian trail. The visitors center has places for hikers to rest.
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| Ready to turn the brake wheel if we go too fast! |
The Kancamagus Highway is a 34 mile scenic highway through the heart of the White Mountain National Forest that stretches from Lincoln, NH to Conway, NH. It is the highest roadway in the northeast, peaking at 2900 feet on Mount Kancamagus. It provides several scenic overlooks perfect for picture-taking.
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