ChrisB
Well-known member
The Auto Road opened on Thursday, June 11 for self-driving. But what do you do when you get to the top?
Re-Openings
- Thread starter B the Hiker
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The Auto Road opened on Thursday, June 11 for self-driving. But what do you do when you get to the top?
You see what you can see?
peakbagger
In Rembrance , July 2024
THe state park facilites are still closed on top with no plan in place on how to reopen. The autoroad is open to ATVs along with cars for the next three weeks Monday thru Friday. My guess is it impact the Cog more than the autoroad folks
Let's hope they all can hold it in for the roundtrip.
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peakbagger
In Rembrance , July 2024
The owner of the cog had offered to build a toilet car for his guests at one point. I think it was said when the possibility of limiting guests on the cog and the autoroad was mentioned due to lack of septic system capacity. They did reportedly haul some porta potties up to treeline for skier to use at the two lean tos they built.
ChrisB
Well-known member
The North Country is alive. Rode through Gorham today and ATVs, bikers, campers and tourons are everywhere. Let the fun begin!!
Appalachia lot about 2/3 full at 2 PM.
jjo
Member
Good info..Thanks
peakbagger
In Rembrance , July 2024
AMC is advertising for kitchen staff at both Pinkham and Highland Center.
BTW Gorham is not fully open. Mr Pizza, Js an Salt have not been open since the Covid 19 shutdowns.
BTW Gorham is not fully open. Mr Pizza, Js an Salt have not been open since the Covid 19 shutdowns.
ChrisB
Well-known member
I.m pretty sure Mr. Pizza was open when I came through yesterday. Several cars in the parking lot anyway.
peakbagger
In Rembrance , July 2024
Yup, you are right, It was closed on Thursday.
ChrisB
Well-known member
I think this is a milestone weekend for many hospitality business in NH and VT with all who are able opening for business.
peakbagger
In Rembrance , July 2024
As of tomorrow (monday), stay at home in NH is lifted, many non essential businesses can reopen (with operating restrictions). There are lots of tourism jobs listed in the Conway Paper. I expect the biggest limitation to businesses reopening is staffing. The current reality is that for many tourism workers they are better off at home collecting unemployment with the added federal stimulus money.
sierra
Well-known member
I work for the state of NH. We sent all our part times on unemployment. We could start using a few now, but you cant get them to even answer the phone. Until that 600 a week is cut-off, they are staying home.
peakbagger
In Rembrance , July 2024
BTW, NH unemployment has tightened up the exemptions for not seeking work as of this week. It was pretty well a blanket exemption previously but they are definitely starting to encourage people to go back to work. Given the demand for tourist jobs it will be hard for many to argue that they cant find work.
Hmm. I don't know about New Hampshire, but in Connecticut, one can earn two hundred dollars a week and still remain on unemployment. That seems like a pretty good incentive for folks, many of whom only get eighteen or sixteen hours a week in their poorly-paying part-time jobs.
Andrew
Active member
It's actually a $500 weekly payment as a Federal unemployment enhancement on top of whatever the state eligible payment is. I spoke with the manager at Moose Brook State Park on Monday as they are expecting to open for this upcoming weekend, out of his 8 seasonal employees 4 have said they won't return. One of those worked for NH Parks for 30 years and another over 12. It is often thankless work cleaning up others messes and mopping up or picking up numerous items and surfaces dripping with others bodily fluids and waste. Some are confounded that they can get a job at a state liquor store and receive state Hazard Pay (in the current situation) for handing over a bottle of Vodka- but not for the duties I described. The army of state park seasonal workers don't even get Holiday Pay for working Holiday's anymore.
It was a real challenge before the pandemic recruiting for the state parks especially in the North Country.....one of the reasons I recently left service.
It was a real challenge before the pandemic recruiting for the state parks especially in the North Country.....one of the reasons I recently left service.
peakbagger
In Rembrance , July 2024
Sorry to hear the system has ground you down. Hopefully your new career direction is an improvement? I have heard this from many young graduates with outdoor type degrees, the dream is get a job in the Whites (or in the outdoors in general) when they graduate. Give them a few years and they realize there is always work for those to do the dirty jobs but the non profits and the state entities work on the assumption that there is endless supply of candidates to fill the slots. Management positions usually stay south of the notches and the jockeying for those positions is tiresome. Usually there is some assistant director/manager that doesn't get the pay but is expected to keep things running when the boss gets promoted. With the shift in demographics, there is lot of demand for the tourist services but the pay and benefits aren't there anymore to attract the staff. More than a few state workers I have run into get trapped as they aren't paying into Social Security and in order to get any sort of retirement they have to take whatever jobs they have to stay in the state pension system. The longer they are in the more they get trapped.
The joke is the average tourist may bitch and moan about the cost for services like campgrounds on line but once they get here they will gladly pay the fee to commercial entities for similar services.
Good luck on your new endeavor.
From a Cohos Trail FB group:
Lake Francis Campground and the Dry River Campground are now both open and operating at 50%. Unknown Pond Tentsite is open (although listed as closed on the website, which a ranger said was out of date). "She went on to say that USFS policy regarding shelters is that those that have caretakers will remain closed so as not to expose those workers to the virus, while shelters without caretakers will be open."
Lake Francis Campground and the Dry River Campground are now both open and operating at 50%. Unknown Pond Tentsite is open (although listed as closed on the website, which a ranger said was out of date). "She went on to say that USFS policy regarding shelters is that those that have caretakers will remain closed so as not to expose those workers to the virus, while shelters without caretakers will be open."
As I also posted in that group, the website (dated 12 June) doesn't list 13 Falls as closed but it's posted on-location. The closure order linked from that page is dated 21 May and lists 13 Falls as closed. They're really not making it easy to figure out what's going on.
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