New Hampshire Nature Notes
by Eric Orff
A white knuckle ride through Franconia Notch and white glaze to my new metal roof this morning.
Tuesday 10/22/2013
A week ago I gave a talk at the Androscoggin Valley Fish and Game Club in Berlin. Club president Bob Rodrigue got me right on early evening to talking about moose and then the oil pipeline that runs right through their back yard. A pipeline that may be slated for transporting the dirtiest oil on the earth, tar sands oil. These conservationists, as you would expect from a room full of life long hunters and fishermen and women, were really very concerned about the downturn in moose numbers with a warming climate and the threat of tar sands and what a disaster a tar sands spill would mean to the economy of the area.
My drive up was a glorious ride into the north country with lots of color to be had even in the northern reaches. But it was my drive back that had me gripping the steering wheel in a white knuckle fashion. You see "It was a dark and stormy night" At least it seemed that way as I made my way south along Route 2 then on to 115 crossing over to route 3. Here as I climbed up from route 2 the fog and the mist turning to rain got thicker and thicker. The only thing really glowing in the dark along my route were the Moose Crossing signs! Oh yes moose were on my mind and hence the clenched fists around the steering wheel. Things were turning into a possible perfect storm of moose with moose breeding season about to peak and the thick fog shrouding my view of a moose on the coal black wet roads should there be one. Every shadow leap out at me as a moose figure. Moving up into Fraconia Notch was an instant replay of the route 115 climb. Just as I was at the end of the double lane on I-93 a big pickup with an ATV in the back swept by me bearing Mass. plates. I instantly decided to draft that truck the rest of the way through the Notch and let him be my moose shield as we crested the hill and plummeted down out of the Notch. By twin lanes again he launched off out of sight but the sky was clearing and I was able to swallow back my heart for an uneventful cruise home.
This morning brought a white coating to the metal deck roof out my home office window. I had not had a killing frost at my house here yet. So maybe this was it. In fact my neighbor Rick's tomatoes were still lush green last week according to him. He lives next to the Suncook River as I do and I think the river affords some frost protection. My mother who lives just across the road from Rick did have a killing frost a couple weeks ago. But our garden there has a history of being a cold spot that just seems to gather frost.
Still to not have had a killing frost at my house until this late in October is near a record for me. Twenty or more years ago I could pretty well count on a killing frost at my house in early September. In fact the mosquitos were still out this weekend at my house and I've noticed a lot of ticks on my cats when they come in from outside. Two falls ago the ticks swarmed us as we deer hunted. I sure hope it is not like that this fall. You just can't count on fall like we used to be able to kill of the pests and bring us good hunting weather. And there is not a hope of deer tracking snow like there used to be come early November. Deer season sure has changed in my life time.
