Wednesday, February 4, 2009

New Hampshire....the other white state.


Avoiding the mooses all day...

















Saturday morning we woke to an azure blue sky and temperatures in the 20's. A perfect day for a road trip, so we bundled up and headed for New Hampshire.

  After spending sometime in picturesque North Conway, we drove to Jackson. Jackson Village is home to the Honeymoon Covered Bridge, rolling snow covered meadows, inns and hotels, and restaurants.
  We stumbled upon a snow carving contest ! It was cold and quite windy, so the wind chill was a factor, but these hardy souls were carving away. Some were finished with their masterpieces while others seemed to be only half way through.


  








































Next stop...

We ended up at Pinkham Notch, at the base of Mount Washington. We went into the visitors center to warm up and check out the weather conditions on the top of Mount Washington. I saw several insane people with huge backpacks slung onto several inches of down outerwear wearing crampons on their feet. They were going inside to sign in for a climb up the mountain to God knows where in the dead of winter. They sign in so that in case they don't come back, the authorities will know who exactly went up and when they left.
  I, myself, don't want to do any activity where I have to sign in, in case I don't return!!

  On our way back home, we stopped at the White Mountain Hotel for a drink and a snack. We didn't have to sign in for that. We've been here once before and it's a very comfortable place to relax, in the Tullamore Pub. Never actually stayed there overnight.
Here is the front entrance of the hotel. That cliff is right next to the parking lot and appears much more massive when you are standing there in real life.


That's my glass of Merlot in front of the fireplace. Warm and cozy.

I assume the pool is heated!!  Anyway, it was a fun day. New Hampshire is beautiful.