You ARE being watched

G'day from Oz Mark & Lori chug
I am enjoying the great start to your new life on the road & already, your pics & words are trying to change our planned trip to Canada & Alaska next year. I may need more time away than I planned
Safe travels & keep up the great write up too

Cheers,
Grant

Hey Grant, glad you're enjoying the trip. Having more time everywhere we go seems to be the developing theme to our trip. We've been thinking out loud about revisiting some of these spots when we get a bit closer to retirement, maybe in a small RV type vehicle. That way we can spend as much time as we would like, of course we may feel that way about everywhere else we go.

I have no idea how much time you've planned here, but I have a feeling it won't be enough

Cheers,
Mark

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The following morning was like Christmas for me. No I don't mean it was snowing, although it wouldn't have surprised us at all. I had been looking forward to getting to the top of Mount Washington for some time and though we wanted to get home, this was one stop I wasn't going to miss this time. Lori decided to remain at the hotel and get some administrative stuff completed (mainly some phone calls to family to let them know we'd be home in a few days), so I was off to the top solo. WooHoo!


The ride up was pretty cool, first the road serpentines through dense forest, eventually taking you above the treeline.


And views like this.


It seems everywhere we go there is still snow.


Found some playmates for the Tiger while I went sightseeing.


You can make out a hiking trail off to the right.


Hello ISS? Yes, this is Mount Washington calling...


It feels like I'm at cloud level here.


Built in 1853 and restored in 1987, the Tip Top House is a former hotel.


Some more sights at the top.


Mount Washington's very own Cog Railway






Fantastic 360 views at the top.


You can make out a couple of hikers in this shot. To get to the top, one can take the railway, tour van, your own vehicle, or my favourite; your own two feet. In fact many who thru-hike the Appalachian Trail will hike all the way from Georgia to here, before continuing on to Mt Kathadin in Maine (about 2182 miles in total). Another bucket list item for me, but that's another story.


Cool little factoid about Mt Washington




The old...and the new. My previous ride was the ST1300 much like the one on the right.


Time to head back down, I think Lori is probably waiting outside of the hotel by now (tapping her foot).










Short section of dirt. Of course going down, the driver of the vehicle in front of me must have thought it was ice, they were going that slow.


Apparently I didn't have to rush down, Lori was still on the phone when I got there. Because of the side trip up Mt Washington, we didn't get going till about 1130 yet still managed to ride 566km that day.


We finally got to experience (enjoy?) some of the heat wave we've been hearing about back home. Good riding (along route 8 I think) once we got into NY, we've always enjoyed going through the Adirondacks, another very scenic area.


On the way we passed through Mexico, Russia, Norway, Rome and of course, Poland. This was quickly becoming a real RTW adventure. Of course each of those was prefaced with Town of, or Village of but pretty cool none the less.

We have decided to take a break for a couple of weeks at home before heading west. I say home, but what I really mean is our hometown with family. We sold our home last November and have been living a vagabond like existence ever since. In the meantime we have a few loose ends to take care of here. The bike needs service, we have a few gear changes to make and also want to re-organize ourselves a bit before carrying on. It's also nice to see our family and friends again.

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Ummmm, the train looks broken
Enjoy the 'home' rest, but don't get too comfy.........we're waiting

You had a beautiful day on Mt. Washington. Thanks for posting the pictures. I went up it last year but the top was in the clouds so all I got to see was dark and cloudy. Good to see what I missed.

Enjoy your time at home. I look forward to the continuation of the journey.

Take care,

John