DigitalRoadtrip: New England Day 6, Come Right In, It's Around the Back

Day 6

Wednesday, October 13, 2021

My one big goal for the day was Mount Washington, the highest point in New Hampshire, my twenty-ninth. I tried to do this ten years ago, but the summit was socked in with thick fog.

But first, I had some driving to do. Sunrise at the West Bangor Motel 6.

To burn off some miles, I hit I-95 south. Not a bad drive.

Even with the foggy patches.

In Fairfield, I got off the interstate and headed north on Hwy 201 towards the town of Skowhegan. The name comes from the Abenaki term for "watching place." In the corner of a parking lot near the center of town, you can find this monument to the local heritage.

In the parking lot, I did a google search for “breakfast near me.” A quarter mile away was a place called Alice’s Restaurant. And yes, it’s owned by a woman named Alice. With a name like that, I felt compelled to go. If you don’t get the reference, click here:

Janine was my waitress and couldn’t have been nicer. I chose two eggs with ham and pancakes. The ham came in two big slabs. The pancakes, thick and the size of a dinner plate. In the end, I couldn’t finish it all. To be honest, I wasn’t interested in food the rest of the day, either.

On the way out of town on Hwy 2, I passed a small dam and considered stopping. When I saw the small reservoir behind the dam, I did stop. Besides, you know I can’t pass up a cool bridge.

I passed through the town of Dixfeld and once again had to turn back. I had seen this while crossing the bridge out of town...

The town is named after Dr. Elijah Dix, an early property owner. They claim to be the only Dixfeld on the planet, thus the town motto, "The Only One."

The parking lot next to the bridge was long empty. The adjacent building obviously had a great deal of history.

The Tuscan Opera House was built here in 1895 as a meeting place for the Independent Order of Odd Fellows as well as women's version, the Rebekahs. I had seen signs for local chapters of Odd Fellows before, and I had always intended to look them up.

No one knows for sure when the group started, or where. But, it began as a way for laborers to get together in mutual support of each other. In 1700's Britain, their behavior was considered odd. They took the label and ran with it.

Back on Hwy 2 and headed west...

Shortly after passing the New Hampshire state line, I passed this lake...

Just a few miles west, I picked up Hwy 16 South towards Mount Washington, New Hampshire's state high point.

To get to the summit, you can either take a guided tour, or drive yourself up the road. The Auto Tour would run me $49. The guided tour would be $51. Or, I could do the 7.4 mile hike. There was also the option of the Mount Washington Cog Railway. There are three more high points on the agenda, all with trails. Today, I chose the guided tour. In the end, I’m glad I did.

The road up is eight miles. A rather steep eight miles. The tour vans are customized just for this. On the drive up, we passed two cars in pullouts with their hoods up. Randy, our driver, said it’s much worse in the heat of the summer. The drive up typically takes a half hour. You get an hour on the summit, then the drive down. Considering the summit area isn't that big, an hour was fine.

Randy suggested we get any shots of, or with the high point sign quickly. When the cog railway's passengers arrive, the line would be huge. I don't do a lot of selfies, and was just interested in the sign.

As for the folks in line, they would simply hand their phones to the second in line to take their picture. It seemed a pretty efficient system.

On top of the mountain, there are the usual cell tours, as well as a permanently manned weather station. Why, because Mount Washington's weather can be a bit wild. Case in point...

This is why the buildings not made of concrete are tied down.

There are a few factors playing into this. Numerous west to east jetstreams converge here. Add in the geography of the surrounding area that acts as a funnel aimed directly for Mount Washington. This is why the highest temperature recorded here is only 72 degrees. You can read more about the weather extremes here: As I write this, thirteen days after my visit, the forecast is a week of highs in the 30's and snow. Yeah, I lucked out with a great day.

The view from above...

Shortly after we arrived, the trains of the Cog Railway arrived.

I was surprised they left before we did.

In between the main tracks is a third grooved one. A gear underneath the train pulls the train up the hill along those grooves. This gear...

To see what it's like to take the cog railway up, check out this Vlog:

From the trip down...

Once back to the car, it was an easy drive back to Gorham and the Rodeway Inn for the night. For $50 a night, this place was really clean, though little worn around the edges. No complaints. Though this was different.

I’ve past countless small towns celebrating their railroad history. Gorham’s is a bit different. As expected, alongside the old depot are a few cars from the Grand Trunk Railroad. The difference is what’s inside. That’s where you can see a miniature version of the entire area’s former railroad glory. Unfortunately, It closes at 3P and I missed it by a half hour.

Never one to pass up a bridge, I walked back up the main road through town to an overpass I had driven over on the way in. With the nearby paper mills long closed, the line doesn't get much use anymore. The line was built by the Atlantic and Saint Lawrence Railroad in 1854 to connect Portland, Maine and Montreal, Canada. Now named the St. Lawrence and Atlantic Railroad, it still does move freight through here, though I only heard a train horn once.

After that supersized breakfast, I was only now thinking about food again. The folks at the Rodeway Inn recommended a barbecue place up the street. They told me I couldn't miss the place. It's in the old Pizza Hut space, complete with red roof.

It was just a few blocks, so I chose to walk.