This Car Did NOT Climb Mount Washington!

Evening Fellas,

Another day in the life of this blog, another story for me to tell you.

The clouds that we said goodnight to last night before going to sleep were still there this morning to wish us good morning. We left Campton, NH at around 10AM to drive the 100 miles that separated us from the White Mountains National Park and the summit of the main target of the day: Mount Washington.

I put the address on the GPS and there we went, I-93, Route 3, some other minor roads, the welcoming sign to the White Mountains National Park and the last but not least towards the end, the 8 miles stretch that lead to the main entrance of the mountain’s auto road.

I often asked myself during the drive before approaching the toll booth if we would have had any problem today reaching the top, considering that a thick blanket of clouds covered the mountains all around us in New Hampshire. All of my doubts were promptly pushed away by the sight in front of me, a fully open and operating toll booth, and if that wasn’t enough to take away all of my worries, a couple of motorbikes sprinting up to the top as if they were in some sort of old fashioned 50’s motor race.

I approached the toll booth ready to pay the 27 dollars ($20 for car and driver plus $7 for any additional passenger) that separated us and “The Bug” from what I had dreamed since last fall term, when I took my first geography class and I truly listened with complete amazement how the professor described the mountains over there in New Hampshire and the scenic/thrilling ride one can do on his own to say: This car climbed Mount Washington, and guess what, I was the driver!

But the toll booth operator wiped away all my hopes and dreams in a few seconds, like a mother wipes away with a paper towel, the cold milk her young child has just poured on the kitchen table. I could see his eyes, I could see the expression on his face approaching the car where at the same time I had make sure that the money was promptly counted and given to the operator. He said to us: “I’m sorry guys, but this is bikes’ day, no cars allowed on the auto road today; but if you want, I can give you a coupon and you can come back tomorrow and get to the top!”. At that point I don’t think he had already read my license plate, he didn’t realize that in order for us to get there, the bug had to go through a 3,605 miles ride! He suggested that since we really wanted to get to the top so badly, we could have taken advantage of the Mini Vans that were fully operating even yesterday on bikes’ day.

Wait a minute, did he just said what I think he said?

I think he did! Let’s be logical here, all right, bikes can go up, it’s their day, we know that already, and their Minivans can also go up, probably twice as big as my little car? So, let’s do the math, I drive my own car and I have a passenger: I pay a total of $27 dollars for both of us; I decide to get on their minivans and go up the same exact road (apparently infested with motorcycles today) and I pay a total of $53 ($27 Adult, $26 Senior). Now, where are those days when I used to see road signs telling me “Share The Road”? Apparently they’re gone! They wouldn’t let me share the road with them today!

So I guess you guys got the concept: This car DID NOT climb Mount Washington! It is not our fault, the bug was ready (with a full tank of gas juice and fully serviced brakes and transmission), and we were ready too, but we’ve been denied the pleasure of doing so.

Disappointed and to be honest with you even a little bit pissed at the Park whose main interest other than preserving their territory is also to make tourists happy (because after all, we do pay big bucks to help preserve this beautiful paradise), we decided to at least, go to Maine and cross another invisible boundary which was only at that point 13.3 miles away.

So that’s what we did, amazing how the vegetation changes from a state to another, pine trees in New Hampshire, and right across the state line, palm trees, and a different climate too, I would say probably 20 degrees difference in temperature. I’m obviously joking, I’m still trying to get over the fact that I couldn’t climb the mountain!

Final destination for the day: North Hero, VT.

I punched the data in the GPS who promptly gave me the answer I wanted as if I was talking with the Magic Mirror: 189 miles, 4 hours drive. It’s been a pleasant (read scenic and slow) drive for the most part, passing quaint little villages that really needed signs to be identified. Some of them were smaller than what I was used to in Sardinia, but probably with the same ratio cows vs humans.

It’s amazing how green this place is, and how many trees can live altogether in the same spot. I don’t think I had ever seen anything like this, it’s absolutely astonishing, and surprising, in a nice way. On our way to Lake Champlain and the Islands, we had the chance to go past Montpellier, which is the State Capital, the only one in the U.S. that proudly advertise itself saying that they don’t have a McDonald’s. I don’t personally agree with their choice, but only because I’ve seen in other part of the country, fast food chains blended (I should probably say “camouflaged”) with the local architectural style, which makes them after all no different than any other place serving food. I also believe anybody should be entitled to eat what they want, don’t we all have after all “Freedom Of Speech”? Anyway, for those of you big fans of the two golden arches, you can always get on your car and drive to Barre, a 6 minutes drive to Montpellier, where not only you’ll find McDonald’s but you will also have your choice of Burger King, SubWay, Taco Bell, KFC, etc.. Talking about inconsistency here! LOL

Burlington, VT, home of many colleges and a big college kids population, is only some 25/30 miles away. We wanted to stop, I’ve always heard about Burlington and therefore I needed to pay my tribute as if someone had heard of somebody else for such a long time that at the end he finds himself sort of forced to visit with him/her.

I have no regrets; we took a walk at the Burlington Riverfront where I took some wonderful shots of a small white lighthouse and a solitary island out in the water. We also went downtown, a long strip of stores and a small shopping mall, all well integrated with the environment. I firmly believe people in this state really care about their surroundings, as I’ve also been told by some natives to look around and notice that there are no billboards as you drive, in any road, not even interstates, talking about preserving the environment!

The last stretch from Burlington to North Hero is another wonderful scenic drive. Reaching Lake Champlain and the islands feel like stepping in a world where days have 48 hours instead of 24. I might be wrong, but I didn’t see the fast paced life environment one can find in New York City, and well, all of those cows really gave me a sense of peace and tranquility.

Our friends’ estate covers many acres and has a story to tell itself. I’ve been taken out on a tour of the premises on an old Buick Electra 225 with a 455 cubic inches engine. That car is a masterpiece, with a roaring engine that to people like me who happen to love cars, sounds more like a full orchestra at the “La Scala” in Milan.

Bob and Sam love to have guests with them all the time, and yesterday was the living proof of what I just said as Frank and Stu, another two friends of ours were already there giving us a warm welcome, like one of those the winners get once they finish a hard race. The table was already set, and in the house, an irresistible smell coming from the fireplace made us feel even more welcome. Sam took me for a ride with Belinda (the car), killing two birds with one stone, allowing me to see in daylight, the cottages that they have next door to where they spend their summertime. I’m presently writing you from one of those two cottages, and I can see part of Lake Champlain in front of me. The only obstruction to this view is one of the things I love the most and that in my opinion should be part of any summer retreat: a hammock!

The cottage next door is a triumph of different architectural styles (thanks to Sam’s skills), and contains one of the features that I’ve always particularly liked: a trailer is attached to the other part of the cottage, or maybe I should say it’s the other way around since the cottage has been built beside the trailer. It all blends beautifully, no doubt about it, and the floor to ceiling French door Sam put in the bedroom facing the water of Lake Champlain is an absolute masterpiece.

Dinner was also out of this world as Sam and Stu grilled pork with pineapple for us in the barbecue, served with corn, sweet potatoes, and cranberry sauce. For dessert we had ice cream with maple syrup, the REAL one that Stu’s brother makes not too far away from here.

What started being a very frustrating the for “An Italian Across America” ended up being a lovely afternoon and evening with great friends, and I’m ready to call it a day now.

From Vermont I guess it’s all for tonight,

Nico