The chirping birds and the brilliant sunrise woke me up just after 0530 and I got ready for my return trip home. Before departing, though, I my dad asked me to join him and Beth for breakfast. Since the restaurant (Marshland) didn't open until 0700, we waited at his house until after that time. However, when we arrived (0720), we found the place packed! Fortunately, we got the last booth and had some more delicious food and good conversation. Afterwards, we took Beth home and my dad drove me (and Anna, the dog) over to Shawme-Crowell to take a walk in the woods. We checked out several nice trails (that later turned out to be tick-infested) and got a lot of good steps on a pretty Spring day. Finishing at 0930, we went back to my dad's house. By then, it had already gotten pretty warm (80s) - Since I wanted to beat any major traffic through Boston, I departed at 1000. Unfortunately, as soon as I got on US-6, I found myself in a traffic jam (two miles from the Sagamore Bridge. Eventually, I got going again but soon had more trouble with the car (cruise control). I pulled over to fix it (I was learning tricks to get it to work) and it worked for a while. After getting on I-93, I hit another traffic jam (as I passed Braintree). To pass the time, I listened to audiobooks. Continued (slowly) through Boston and then the traffic started to get more sparse. Stopped for another cruise control fix at the NH Border. Was planning to use NH-3A to get to I-89 but prematurely exited on US-3. This took me the "long way" (through the Hooksett shopping area) and I encountered a lot more traffic. Grrrrr... Looking on the bright side, though, I think I'm starting to learn more and more about the ways I can avoid Interstate issues between the Cape and the Upper Valley. It was also nice to know where I could find more shopping without having to drive all the way to Manchester. Reached I-89 by about 1215 and then made excellent time all the way home (arrived just after 1300). As forecasted, the temps were in the 90s so I "hid" in my house for the rest of the day. Very glad I could take such nice getaway just before the beginning of the Summer Beach Season!
