White Mountains and Portland

It's been busy for the past few days. First, we visited the White Mountains late last week. They are in the early stages of fall color and absolutely beautiful. Full of beautiful mountain vistas and roaring streams.

We REALLY looked for a moose at this quiet lake, but, there was none to be seen....

This flume is part of the National Forest area.

We drove to the top of Mount Washington, home of the Mount Washington Observatory. Another good website is http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Washington_(New_Hampshire). That's the observatory at the tip top of the mountain.

The mountaintop has the distinction of the highest wind ever recorded at earth's surface - 231 mph! It's an 8 mile drive on a narrow, sort of 2-lane (well, traffic comes and goes in both directions), partially paved, un-guard railed, 12 degree incline road. I was glad to get up there AND glad to get back down. In honesty, a lot of folks drive it every day but that didn't mean I liked part of it.

The views from the top were 360 degrees of splendor. It was unusually clear - they get an average of 211 days per year of cloudy weather. On a clear day like we had, you could see for 100 miles.

We were above the treeline, so it looked quite different from the forest below.

We also drove the length of the Kancamagas Hwy, a National Scenic Trail. The highway runs in and out of the White Mountains National Forest. It was full of scenic overlooks, trails, waterfalls, and even swimming holes.

We recuperated on Monday, catching up on "house chores" and then headed off to Portland for the day on Tuesday. One of our boating friends lives there, so he met us and showed us around the area. Portland is Maine's largest city, about 230,000, but the downtown area still has that feel of an old small town. This is part of the harbor area.

A not so subtle reminder of Maine's rocky coast....

One of Portland's several lighthouses.

We stopped at all of the usual scenic places, including this one that has chairs made out of the bedrock, the common rock in the area (remember Fred and Wilma Flintstone? Lived in Bedrock? :-)

We took the seacoast highway to Portland, stopping in Kennebunkport. Cute little town of 3000 non-tourist residents, expensive shops, and restaurants.

And of course, Walker Island, the George Bush residence. We were one of many stopped on the side of the road, taking pictures of the house. An older man in a yellow sweater was wandering around the yard --- George Sr.???

Back to Portsmouth for Luke's Wednesday appointment --- stitches are out, he can sleep without the sling, and is feeling better. He's got one more appointment next week with the physical therapist, and then we'll leave (weather permitting) for our trip back.

We had to turn in our rental car yesterday, so we did errand's like a vet visit for Wickie (not quite as good as before, but still holding well enough), groceries, etc.

Rain is forecast from last night through Sunday, so I'm working in the boat, making space for guest crew and such. Luke is working on charting a course home. And, just why does NH have a potential hurricane headed towards her in late September!??? Check out Kyle --- right through here. Sigh. But we are safe and sound here at the marina.

So, we're caught up for now. Our new crew member, Matt, will arrive on Tuesday and spend Wednesday with us, moving on board and getting familiar with the boat. We still hope to leave on Thursday, Oct. 2.