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Wednesday, September 28, 2016

WOW! WHAT A VIEW HODGEPODGE!



     Welcome to another Wednesday Hodgepodge. You will need to read my Random Thought to understand the title of this week's edition of the Hodgepodge. Thanks to our Hodgepodge Mistress, Joyce Daley, for another thought provoking series of questions. Now onto the this weeks edition!

1. Have you ever been to and/or lived near the desert? What did you think? Travel and Leisure lists the 'coolest' American desert towns as-

Palm Springs CA, Virgina City NE, Bend OR, Winslow AZ, Marfa TX, Grand Junction CO, Silver City NM, Moab UT, Taos NM, Yakima WA, Borrego Springs CA, Terlingua TX, and St. George UT, and Tubac AZ

Have you been to any of these? Would you like to visit a desert town? Which on the list would you most like to see?
       SWMBO and I lived on Kirtland AFB in Albuquerque, New Mexico, back in the early 1970's. The back yard of our on base housing abutted a desert. The most beautiful sunsets that I have ever seen in my life were from my backyard. I have not been to any of the towns listed in the above question nor do I have a strong desire to do so. I have nothing against the towns, I just don't have a need to visit them.

2. What's a plan or project you've deserted in the past year?
     I have not caught up on the yard work at SWMBO and my palatial estate. Actually it is a modest sized house on 1.4 acres. 

3. Desert-dessert? Share two or three words you find yourself having to think twice about when it comes to spelling.  
     Counsel - Council

4. High and dry, like watching paint dry, dry run, dry as dust, not a dry eye in the house...which phrase can you relate to currently? Explain.
     I've got nothing!

5. How often do you frequent the dry cleaners? Starch or no starch?
     I don't use dry cleaners very often since I retired five years ago. I went "no starch" when it came to my clothes, shirts mostly.

6. What's a food or beverage you enjoy that's named for a place?
     I am going with "Chinese Pie." Frankly, I had trouble thinking of food named after a place. I look forward to reading everyone's answers.

7. Do you need solitude? 
     Sometimes, I do. I like/need to get away and spend time alone reading or praying or comtemplating life and it's difficulties. Most of the time I love being with other people.

8.  Insert your own random thought here.
     On Monday of this week SWMBO wanted to go leaf peeping in NH's White Mountains. As part of our excursion she wanted to drive to the top of Mt. Washington, New Englands highest mountain peak, via the Mount Washington Auto Road.  This so called road is barely wide enough for two cars to pass side by side. It is eight miles to the the top of Mt. Washington. There are no guardrails alongside the road and some of the drop offs are hundreds of feet down. Not being very fond of heights, I white knuckled the steering wheel most of those eight miles. I also did not get to enjoy the spectacular views during the ascent because I was "laser beam" focused on keeping our car on the roadway. 
     Once we reached the summit, we parked our car and walked up several flights of stairs to a visitor's center which had an observation platform from which the words "Wow! What a view!" inevitably falls from your lips. The views are truly spectacular. Visibility was about 100 miles. The temperature on top of Mt. Washington was about 30 degrees, 35 degrees colder than at the bottom. There were remnants of recent snowfalls at various spots around the summit.
     The drive down the mountain was as scary as the drive up. However on the way down we pulled over a couple of times for about ten minutes at a time to allow our brakes to cool. There are paved areas alongside the road for that very purpose. 
     If you're ever in the Granite State I recommend that you visit Mt. Washington. If you are not afraid of heights, try driving up the Auto Road. If you are afraid of heights there are a few shuttle vans that runs up and down the mountain during business hours. Another option is to ride the Cog Railway. It's a train specifically designed to make it up the side of the mountain. 


5 comments:

  1. That's a good choice of a word that can be hard to spell. Wow that drive of yours sounds awesome for the view but those small road can be so scary. We did those in our 30's, not sure I want to do them in my 60's!!!

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  2. Oh, the Cog Railway sounds awesome! I love taking the train!

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  3. Well, I would not be driving that road up the mountain (or down it)! Wow! The shuttle or the train, maybe. I enjoyed reading your answers today! Wishing both you and SWMBO a good rest of the week!

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  4. My stomach did a flip-flop just reading about your trip up and down the mountain!!! I'm sure the view was awesome, though :)
    Kathy (Reflections)

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  5. I've been up Mt. Washington. I don't mind heights, but getting to the view is usually the part that does me in (cable cars, narrow roads with no guardrails, etc). Glad you were able to enjoy the beauty of autumn from a wonderful vantage point!

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