This is the day of Mt. Washington, by rail and car, but not by foot. At 6,022 feet, Mt. Washington is the tallest peak in the eastern United States. It also holds the record for the highest documented wind speed on land---231 miles per hour, registered at the summit on April 12, 1934. Additional superlatives needed? How about the oldest cog railway in the world, which has been running continuously since 1869. How about one of the scariest auto roads in the world.
First I did the cog railway, which looks like this:
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Cog Railway Train at Depot |
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| Cog Railway Train Near Summit |
It took 45 minutes of clink-clink-clink to go the 2.7 miles to the top of the mountain. The maximum angle is 37.5 degrees. It traverses an indentation at this angle that puts the train 40 feet above the ground. Its not a bad ride as long as you don't think about what you are doing. At the top it was about 45 degrees, and we were fortunate to have a clear day. That only happens about 100 days a year. The trip down isn't bad as long as you don't think about the diabolical guy at the head of the car who calls himself the brakeman. Just sit down, with your head forward (because you are now at a 37.5 degree down angle) and enjoy the view.
Here are pictures of the first locomotive used during the construction of the cog track from 1866 to 1869, and of the last remaining steam engine used on the railway:
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| Peppersass, the first cog steam locomotive |
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Last Steam Locomotive,
Still in Daily Use |
My next stop was at the Mount Washington Resort Hotel at Bretton Woods. It has been a regal presence since horse-and-carriage days. Here is a snapshot of the exterior.
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Mt. Washington Resort Hotel,
Bretton Woods, New Hampshire |
The reason I stopped there is because if its fame at having hosted the United Nations Monetary and Financial Conference in 1944, which resulted in the Bretton Woods Agreement that governed (by mutual consent) international finance and foreign exchange for 25 years, from 1944 to 1969. It also established the International Monetary Fund, which still is in operation today (think Dominique Strauss-Kahn). This stop along with Jekyll Island completes my tour of historical financial sites. Here is a picture I took of the Gold Room at the resort, where the agreement was signed.
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Gold Room,
Mt. Washington Resort Hotel |
Last stop was the famous Mt. Washington Auto Road. Its about eight miles to the summit, but it takes 30 to 40 minutes because of the traffic and because you are supposed to drive the whole way, both up and down, in low gear (I sometimes used the 2 rather than the 1 on my automatic). The average grade is 12 percent. The road is nominally two lanes wide, though without a centerline and with most of the oncoming traffic consisting of SUVs and minivans, my Mustang sometimes felt like it was getting half a lane. No guardrails. Mostly paved, except for about a mile in the middle. Thankfully, the weather was still clear. Julie would not have made it. No pictures as I was too busy with both hands on the wheel.
Mileage: 115 Cumulative mileage: 3,788
