Officially Exhausted

I think the wedding and the traveling has finally caught up with me today. I did not get much sleep last night. We packed up our very fancy utility vehicle early this morning and drove out of Quebec. I have to say the place was very clean. We saw only a few unhoused looking folks, like maybe two. We never saw one police man, except in front of the US Consulate and I think he only came outside the building when Russ was reading the posted unfriendly information, and then he looked us over and decided we were not going to try and seek asylum.

We had a long drive to Jackson New Hampshire. We stopped in a terrible place for breakfast, a chain called Ben and Florentine. Never go there. Our entry point into the US was a tiny place on route 3 in New Hampshire where the US officer was actually from Vermont and coming to man this check point was like a punishment duty. There is not much in northern New Hampshire. We drove at least two hours before we saw a store.

Our only excitement was our stop at Mt. Washington. Since we had this fabulous rental car that could climb a mountain we took the auto road up the Mountain. It was expensive at $36 per person to drive our own car the seven and a half miles straight up, but so worth it. My ears only popped twice going up. I counted at least four distinct flora and fauna changes as we ascended.

At the highest point east of the Mississippi I was shocked how many hikers were at the summit and in the building. Russ and I talked to one hiker who had just hiked up one of the more obscure trails that took him seven and a half hours to get up. He estimated it would take him three and half to get down. Good thing it is a long day of sunlight. He showed us photos from a November ski up and down trip he made. I have never thought about skiing UP anything. He showed us photos of the skins he put on his skis to ski up.

Our drive from mt. Washington was a short half hour to our inn for the night. I was not expecting much since all we had seen of New Hampshire so far had been less than glamorous. So when we turned into Jackson, New Hampshire we were pleasantly surprised. It is the cutest town, with many lovely inns, and a couple cute shops and a covered one lane bridge.

Russ and I checked in and dropped our bags in our Presidential Suite(!) and went for a walk in town and visited their waterfall. We had a hour before dinner where we sat on the wrap around porch of the inn. We did not see any of the black bears we had been warned about. We are still glad we do not have any food in our car as we were warned they will take your car apart for a cheese doodle.

We enjoyed dinner on the porch and half way through I hit a wall and said that was all I could do. So early to bed tonight. We have a shorter drive tomorrow with one stop in Newburyport then on to logan and home. It’s been fun but I can’t wait to get home.