This was the first time we bought a car from a dealer and that was an interesting experience. First, we were rejected by two of the dealer's lenders because we were not borrowing enough money from them. Then, the company that was re-sealing the windshield broke something that would have caused the sun-roof to leak. But, the dealer gave us a rental car while they made that repair and delivered the car to our house. I was particularly impressed because the dealer was located in Auburn, a good hour west of us. And the worker had to drive back to Auburn during rush hour.
So, we decided to treat our new car to the same test that we gave the Corolla: Road Trip. And it just so happened to be the Columbus Day holiday weekend. Out here, Columbus Day is not a celebration of the genocide of the indigenous peoples in the Western Hemisphere. No, out here, it is a celebration of Fall Foliage. So, when in Rome, or rather New England, we celebrate Columbus Day by going on that great pilgrimage: leaf peeping. Us, and everyone else in New England.
By some great fluke, there was a single B&B left in New Hampshire with a room available for one night. And, there happened to be a single table left at the restaurant next door for an 8 pm reservation. The Cabernet Inn was very comfortable, reasonably priced, with a fabulous breakfast. Definitely a place to stay if you are in the area. The dinner at the 1785 Inn was awesome. I stuffed myself on wine and wabbit. The Good Mr. Dr. partook in a half rack of New Zealand lamb, which now competes with my father's lamb as the best rack of lamb ever. This restaurant is also famous for their flaming drinks. I will admit that I wanted to eat here not just because it was literally next door to our B&B, but because I wanted to see if their flaming drink show was as good as the one in Ensanada when we took my Dad and his friend ('member that, Dad?). Our waiter was definitely a likable guy, but it suffices to say, Mexicans still rule. The drink, which involved Tuaca and cinnamon schnapps, was still quite tasty.
On Sunday, we decided to really test this car out and take it up Mt. Washington. This is the highest peak in New England, standing at 6,288 feet. Now, this is nothing compared to the San Gabriel or San Bernardino mountains in Southern California. It is about the height of the average peak in the Eldorado National Forest in Northern California. But the road requires that you drive in first gear the entire way up and down. It averages a 12% grade. And because of the latitude we are at, the weather at the summit can be drastically different than the weather at the base. On the day we went, there were basically blizzard conditions at the summit, so we were only able to drive halfway up. At the turnaround point, I almost got blown off the mountain and the Good Mr. Dr. almost got frostbite.
Upon leaving Mt. Washington, we continued through the White Mountains, stopping in Bartlett to buy some of the best apple cider we've ever had. We saw cliffs, and waterfalls, and more shades of yellow, red, and orange than you can possibly imagine. In many ways, it was like when we went to Scotland. Around every bend, one or the other of us can be heard to say, "Wow." Sadly, we did not see any moose. But the car passed the Road Trip test. Which is a good thing, considering that we were not aware that our comprehensive car insurance coverage had not actually kicked in while we were exploring the White Mountains.
Leaf peeping is an annual tradition. The concept of seasons is still rather novel. I expect that we'll be exploring the White Mountains for some years to come. We hope some of you can join us. But the next time we go to Mount Washington, we might just take the train instead.
And a quick thanks to the neighbors, particularly Ms. Jazzy J, who took care of Simba during our trip.
You can see the rest of the pictures of our trip by clicking on the gallery link above.
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