Mount Washington, NH

Good grief. I had no idea it'd been nearly a year since I started planning this adventure. Life gets in the way with lots happening. Anyhow, I did buy the new vehicle for the trip. I decided on an Elantra, one of my original choices. But I didn't get the touring car like I'd hoped. I found the sedan had more storage space in the trunk and folded down backseat than the touring car had in the back. I won't look quite as adventurous and sporty but with good gas mileage, I'll get there and should have enough room for all the junk I plan to take with me....

Next stop is Mount Washington in New Hampshire, about 5 hours from Cape Cod. Mount Washington is one of the White Mountains, which in turn are part of the Appalachian chain that runs through eastern North America. Mount Washington, its tallest peak at 6288 feet, lies roughly at the center of the range. According to "The Book" which is 35 years old, there are three ways of getting to the top (if you don't choose to hike it). You can go by toll road in your own car, on the toll road riding in a chauffeured station wagon hired at the base or on the colorful, Toonerville Trolley-cog railway. Of course, I'll have to check online to see if these things are still available after all these years. I think I'd like to go by cog railway. Sounds fun.

(Descriptions from "The Book")...Driving up Mount Washington is like leaving New England for Labrador or leaving summer for winter. For anyone who goes up the mountain, no matter how, the trip is above all an adventure. In the sense of desolation and chaotic natural forces at the summit the meaning of the word "wilderness" sinks in. The constant threat of bad weather which tests the limits of survival for all forms of life are real and meaningful. The bad weather is a deadly mixture of high winds, low temperatures and frequent fog. Even the less hardy visitor, who breathes a sigh of relief when he returns to the familiar world of green-leaved trees and sun-warmed air at the base of the mountain, (yep, that would be me) may later find himself strangely eager to go up again...

Ohhhh... sounds like an interesting adventure to me!

Some interesting sights nearby are Franconia Notch, Polar Caves, Glen Ellis Falls, Crawford Notch and Kancamagus Highway...

Choosing The Vehicle

I guess it's old age creeping up on me that's created this longing. Now that I've just hit the big SIX O, I realize there isn't a lot of time left to catch up on the adventures I had hoped to enjoy when I was still young, had my life ahead of me and thought I had all the time in the world.

As my first adventure, I've chosen a trip I'd planned when I was about 24 years old, married and stationed in Las Vegas. My husband was in the Air Force and stationed at Nellis Air Force Base. When he was discharged, I had hoped to take a couple of weeks to drive across the country (back to our home in Florida) camping at some of the most beautiful state and national parks. But we were never able to make the trip.

I've decided the first step of planning this adventure is to choose the vehicle. My little '95 truck gets me around town but I've started worrying when I have to drive any distance. So it's probably time to think about a new vehicle. I thought I should purchase a vehicle that looked the part of an adventurer carrier and was looking into SUVs first. I loved them but their poor gas mileage quickly scared me off. After all, all that driving I'll be doing and I'll be doing it on a budget. So I decided to look for something smaller and less thirsty. After eyeing every cute little car on the road that I could get my eyes on, I realized there were sports wagons, hatchbacks and station wagons that would have lots of room for my tent and camping equipment.

At this time, my first choice is a Pontiac Vibe, second choice is a Honda Fit and my third choice is a Hyundia Elantra Touring car. The Pontiac would be a good choice because I could have it serviced locally. The Honda and Hyundia would be a 30 minute drive out of town. But as I've been checking dealers in my area I've learned, none of them have a lot full of Vibes for me to look over. They don't even have one. I didn't realize the little car would be so difficult to locate. I have heard from a couple of dealers that say they've found one. But since I'm still several months from purchasing, I don't think it would be a good idea to start running around to test drive and such. I suspect it will be a good idea to wait until I have the money in hand...