New England 2009:
Day 6 - New Hampshire

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New England 2009: [Day 1 - Rhode Island] [Day 2 - Connecticut] [Day 3 - Vermont] [Day 4 - Quebec] [Day 5 - Maine] [Day 6 - New Hampshire] [Day 7 - Massachusetts]

	Friday, November 27, 2009: Welcome/Bienvenue to New Hampshire - "Live Free or Die." That is still one of the best state mottos ever, with the possible exception of Delaware.
	It was a drizzly day but we got out at a great rest area to take a photo in the direction of Mount Washington.
	We drove to Bretton Woods, then drove through White Mountain National Forest and up the foothills of Mt. Washington to the cog railway base station.
	What's this? Snow? Cool!
	Unfortunately, snow meant that our trip to the peak had to be shortened to a one hour trip halfway up the mountain and back.
	We were only there a half hour when the snow plows came out and were already needed.
	Here's the nearly empty waiting room.
	Here's the train with the engine behind it.
	We were two of perhaps a dozen people on the train altogether.
	There are pros and cons to seeing New England in the offseason and the complete lack of people is a big pro.
	Seriously.
	We headed up the hill and the snow was thick and gorgeous.
	But pretty snow has to be shoveled off of the tracks so we don't lose our footing, so that was this guy's job on the way up.
	On the way back down, he manned the brakes in case the engine couldn't stop us.
	For the ride back down, the seats flip back so they face the opposite end of the train and we snagged front row seats this time.
	We like front row seats.
	We also like tracking the change in altitude on Tom's trusty GPS.
	This photo gives an example of how sharply angled the descent was.
	One last scenic look at a babbling brook, and we were back.
	Orchy loves to get his photo taken and he blended in nicely in this shot.
	We'll summarize this historical marker: The Mount Washington Cog Railway was built in 1869. It is the second steepest cog railway in the world and the first of its type. It is over three miles long. Impressive!
	Remember this sign from earlier? It's been snowed on.
	But there are more sights to see! Here is Franconia Notch State Park ...
	... home of skiing ranges ...
	... and former home of the Old Man of the Mountain.
	We stopped at the deserted visitor center and decided against making the hike to the Old Man viewing place. The famous rock formation collapsed on May 3, 2003, so were were about six years too late to see it.
	Back on the highway, we got this shot of where it used to be. We think it is the dark area to the right of the snowy cliffs, but we're just guessing.
	Once again, we played the game of trying to find an open restaurant. As far as we can tell, New England just plain shuts down in the winter. In Ashland, we finally found Village Pizza and Grill, home of the most delicious sandwiches ever.
	Our next destination was Concord. We took this photo of the capitol on our way out of town the next day, but it fits into our story better here. Deal with it.
	We checked into our hotel and headed over to the McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center. It is easy to spot because of the 92' tall Mercury-Redstone rocket parked outside.
	Apparently, we weren't the only space fans there.
	Inside is a sparkling new air and space museum with lots of fun stuff to see and do.
	Tom was in NASA heaven, of course. He waited patiently for his turn to land the lunar module, and only crashed once.
	Yes, that's our boy flying the space shuttle too.
	Here's a replica of the Freedom 7 Mercury capsule. Either Tom or the 17-year-old space center volunteer would be delighted to tell you all about it.
	We want to own this so badly. It's a globe of whatever you want it to be at the touch of a button. Mars? The Sun? The Moon? Earth - with or without clouds? Want want want.
	Back at the hotel, the Old Man was on display, just as he is on the New Hampshire coins, highway signs, and license plates. These people love their Old Man.
	And Debbie loves lobster. Bring it! Although not as messy as Tom is, when a free lobster bib is offered, she'll wear it.
	Thanks, Newick's Lobster House! We were stuffed.
	But not so stuffed that we couldn't eat a Suzy Q for dessert, gifted to us by Ralph and Bonnie back in Connecticut. At times, it looked like we'd have to survive on these alone, but we made them last all week. Massachusetts >