White River Junction, VT (USA)

[started teleworking early - at 0700, left condo and drove to White River Junction (UVAC) to swim for 45 minutes - after that, returned home and continued teleworking until late]

North Haverhill, NH (USA)

Despite wanting to attend the North Haverhill Fair (a highlight of my 2022 summer) earlier in the week, I waited out last night’s horrendous thunderstorms and only headed towards the fairgrounds after Mass at Sacred Heart (0800) this morning.  To get there, I used I-89, I-91, VT/NH-25, US-5, Newbury Crossing Road and NH-10.  When I arrived (0845), there was still almost no one there yet and the temps were in the low 60s - perfect atmosphere!  The quiet beginning allowed me to watch several events: Single Horse Powderpuff Pull, Log Drag (horse) obstacle course and Junior Tractor Pull.  I got to attend a 4H Beef Show too - the youngsters with their unruly cows were funny to watch!  After that, I went exploring.  Along the way, I wandered through the 4H artwork displays, explored the commercial sales building and visited various livestock pens.  Other highlights included the Wee Wee Wee Racing Pigs and Mike Piazza’s Flying High Dog performance.  Lunch was (like last year) at 5-C Concession (a family business with 40 straight years of participation in this fair).  After three hours, it got too warm and “peopley” enough that I departed.  But, like I think I said last year, THIS is the annual fair to attend if you are anywhere near the Upper Valley!  After leaving the fairgrounds, I drove a short distance south and launched Tequila Sunrise from Bedell Bridge State Park (on the Connecticut River).  Starting at 1330, I paddled about 2.5 miles north (until I reached the bridge on Newbury Crossing Road) and back again.  The weather was nice (sunny with a light breeze) but the current was STRONG!  Still, I made steady progress on the outbound leg and was rewarded by an easier inbound ride to the boat launch.  Strangely, I didn’t see much wildlife during my nearly five mile paddle - perhaps it was because the Fairgrounds (which I passed along the way) PA System was so loud that I felt like I was listening to radio play-by-play of the ongoing 4x4 Truck Pull.  At least I can confirm that Ford beats Chevy in one category… I finished up at about 1545, feeling energized.  I drove home via NH-10, River Road, NH/VT-25 and US-5 to Norwich; arrived at my condo at 1630.  Great day at the Fair and on the water!  

White River Junction, VT (USA)

[left condo at 0920 and drove to White River Junction (UVAC) for 45 minutes of swimming, 10 minutes of sauna, 17 minutes of biking (4 miles), 10 minutes of rowing and weights - afterwards (1130), went shopping in West Lebanon (done at 1155) - afterwards, returned home (arrived at 1215)]

DC Work Trip - Day 4

Work meetings complete, I had to make my way home today through a maze of transportation; Amtrak was going to convert trains north of New Haven into buses.  At least I had some warning about this situation beforehand.  Still, I'm sure it will be hard to accentuate the positive during my continued progress towards home...  I woke before my alarm (0545) and started teleworking from my hotel room - I also re-packed my bags and ate a light snack.  At 0700, I checked out of the Holiday Inn and, because it wasn't too hot yet, walked all the way to Union Station.  I arrived at around 0720 and stopped into Au Bon Pain for some breakfast to go (0725).  For the next 20 minutes, I sat in a waiting area nearby, watching the "Departures" screen for updates on "The Vermonter" status and gate.  Eventually, we were told where to go and I stood in a long queue for 25 more minutes while the Amtrak crew tried to resolve some issues.  There were all kinds of "heat" warnings but I don't think the train was even parked when we were supposed to leave.  During this time, I met a young guy from Ohio who was riding Amtrak (to NYC) for the first time in his life.  We discussed the pros/cons and compared notes from our travel in other parts of the world where rail travel is more popular, cheap and easy.  At about 0810 (only five minutes late), we had a rushed boarding and departed shortly afterwards.  I was able to find the "Quiet Car", managed by a gruff lady who did not allow ANY noise at all.  This was good but there was one really loud exchange with one person who would not cooperate with the conductors and started yelling about "racism".  I started to wonder if I should move to another seat but things eventually quieted down again.  During this phase of the trip, I didn't have very many people around me and I was able to put in more than four straight hours of work on my computer.  Unfortunately, this crew changed in NYC and the newer conductors didn't enforce the quiet after that.  On top of the changing "office" conditions, I started to get annoyed at all the additional requests I was getting from my colleagues, who typically rely on me for a lot of things anyway.  I wanted to quit working by 1215 but knew it would be even harder to get anything done on the bus that I had to take beyond New Haven (due to track closures to allow repairs after all the damage caused by recent major floods).  Instead, I powered through... When I asked a conductor about whether there was food or stops for food on the way to White River Junction, he told me there weren't.  This inspired me to pick up some lunch in the Cafe Car (1255).  Shortly after that, we reached the end of the train ride.  Arriving in New Haven almost exactly on time (1310), we were asked to get off the train and walk through the entire station (towards the Greyhound Bus area).  There were Amtrak staff-members pointing the way and there was a bit of urgency all around.  We were separated into two different buses: one went to Hartford and Meriden while the other (the one I boarded) went "everywhere else."  Departing at 1330, we drove all the way to Springfield, MA with only a few short stops on the way.  It felt strange to trade my nice seat in a stable rolling carriage for a bench in a vehicle that was constantly careening around other traffic on I-91... Once we arrived at the Springfield Amtrak Station, the staff got off the bus and left us sitting for a while (no announcement or anything).  Since it looked like a long delay, I asked if I could go inside the station to buy a drink (they said it was OK).  After purchasing a soda at Commuter Variety (1510), I returned to the bus and found that nothing had changed in the meantime.  After nearly 30 minutes, it became clear that we were waiting for the other bus.  During this time, I tried to do some telework but it was harder than it had been on the train (I had to use my iPhone hot spot because they'd never told us about WiFi).  Passengers were getting quite irritated and the staff continued being quite mysterious.  Finally, another bus arrived but it turned out to be a southbound link to New Haven (annoying).  When the "correct" bus finally arrived, the new Amtrak staff (conductors I recognized from my ride to Baltimore earlier in the month) reorganized the passengers between the two busses, using a paper "map" of the best way to get everyone home.  Our bus then left Springfield and made stops in Holyoke, Deerfield and Bellows Falls.  We next continued next to White River Junction and arrived at the Amtrak Station to find the other bus waiting on us (!!!) - I was annoyed with the way this whole thing was managed but was tired enough that I just bolted off the bus, grabbed my bag, packed my car (nearby) and started driving home (US-4 to NH-10).  I arrived at my condo by 1830 and began unpacking, exhausted from my journey but wanting to get cleaned up as soon as possible.  Since I'd been interrupted previously, I did some more teleworking in the evening to close out my Friday.  Even though I've made several trips to DC since I left in 2020, this was the first time in many years I truly felt like I was traveling for the Government.  It worked out OK but I hope to have some better flexibility in the future...

DC Work Trip - Day 3

Despite my late bed-times the last few nights, I still woke up at 0530 (felt very tired).  I worked in my room until about 0830 (skipped breakfast again), when I walked across the street to Capital Gallery for more meetings.  These started at 0900 and we worked until about 1200.  After that, we were allowed some time to get food (for a working lunch).  After texting with some friends who'd previously told me they might be in town for lunch (they weren't), I tried to get food at Quiznos near Cap Gallery.  Unfortunately, I discovered that it had closed during the Pandemic...  Instead, I (along with Yves and Chris D) got some slices of pizza and a salad at "My Own Pizza" (1215).  The food looked (and tasted) very good!  Our meetings resumed by 1245 and we continued discussions all the way until almost 1500.  After that, I returned to my hotel room and did some more work (including a telcon with remote colleagues) until after 1630.  Stephanie had told me she was available to meet for some drinks so we coordinated getting together near the FAA HQ for 1700.  After she arrived, we walked north to Hill Country BBQ and joined their happy hour (pitcher of margaritas and a Shiner Boch for each of us).  The bar area was quite loud so we moved into the main dining area after about an hour (1835).  The ordering process had changed a little bit but the food was still excellent.  We had brisket, ribs, mac & cheese, beans and cornbread.  After getting done with our dinner (1945), we started walking back to L'Enfant Plaza.  Along the way (near the National Archives), we encountered a lot of security and road closures.  When we asked some people standing nearby what was happening, they replied that President Biden was about to depart from the site.  We waited a short time and his motorcade soon emerged from the basement of the building and sped away.  Stephanie was quite impressed and texted some photos I'd taken to our friends in Delaware (big Biden supporters).  After that, I said goodbye to her (near the FAA HQ), I walked back to the Holiday Inn.  When I got to my room, I noticed that my AC was still not working (I thought it was a fluke before) and called down to the lobby to ask for help.  When the maintenance man arrived, he quickly resolved the issue and I was back to cold temps in the room.  During the rest of the evening, I read and played around on social media.  I went to bed at 2230.  This trip was quite successful in many ways - hoping my train ride home tomorrow follows suit!

DC Work Trip - Day 2

I got up at 0545 and started teleworking in my hotel room.  Breakfast was not included in the price of my stay at the Holiday Inn so I skipped the early meal.  At 0815, I walked across the street to Capital Gallery.  I'd intended to join a meeting at one of the companies there but my government customer canceled it.  Instead, I visited the HQ for my old company and met up with some former colleagues.  At 0845, I reached the location for the Off-Site event (all day meeting) and it began at 0900.  With some breaks, we had a very productive series of discussions.  For lunch (1215), I joined many of my colleagues in getting lunch at Cosmo, an old standby for food when I used to work in DC every day (1215).  We actually took the food back to the Off-Site spaces and talked a bunch about post-COVID experiences (almost a working lunch).  After our meal, we moved into some more discussions (also productive) and a fun exercise that allowed us to celebrate our recent project milestone.  Finished at 1500, I took my work stuff back to the Holiday Inn before joining everyone for a walk to the DC Waterfront - it was quite warm but we took our time.  We passed the Benjamin Banneker memorial and then wandered around on the shore of the Potomac until we located The Brighton (where our team happy hour was scheduled).  For the next several hours (1600 to 1900), we enjoyed some local brews, food and great conversation.  This was the first time I'd gotten to hang out with everyone socially since 2020 and it was great!  Afterwards, I walked back (with Chris D) to my hotel and spent a little longer cleaning up work items.  I also got to talk to Mollie on the phone.  I was reading until bed time (just after midnight), full of energy after my day of meetings and colleague reunions.

DC Work Trip - Day 1

Work trip to DC!  I was awake at 0600 and spent the morning teleworking and packing.  At 1045, I left home and drove to White River Junction so I could catch "The Vermonter" (scheduled for a 1135 departure).  The train was almost 30 minutes late but I found it to be almost empty initially.  I immediately set up to telework while I had the room and this proved to be a good thing after the seats got more full.  The train was driving very slow because of flooding damage in Vermont during the last few weeks.  We eventually made it into Massachusetts and the speed picked up a little bit.  I had a Zoom call for work between 1430 and 1545 and was able to work it just fine in "listen only mode".  After that, I ran out of room for using my computer mouse but tried to keep teleworking (mostly successful).  It started to rain a lot at around this time.  As a result, we got delayed again in Springfield (due to the normal track switch) and the delay grew as we continued south.  Just before we stopped in New Haven, I got some food (late lunch / early dinner) in the galley car (1605) so I wouldn't have to worry about losing my seat if I stood up later.  By then, it was getting quite crowded...  There was a crew swap and engine change in New Haven (which always has a delay) but I need to hand it to Amtrak that we actually made up almost an hour of the delay during this stop.  We headed south from there and, very quickly, continued to recover time.  During this phase, I finished my telework day and began to enjoy my audiobook while watching the interesting scenery along the tracks.  Actually, this is the best view I've ever had during one of my Amtrak trips to DC.  Once in NYC, we got hung up again (and the train got more crowded).  Eventually, we were on our way again but, no matter how fast we traveled, we couldn't catch up to the schedule.  It soon got dark and I couldn't really see anything outside the window.  To pass the time, I continued reading and then listened to music as we got closer to DC.  We encountered some rain west of Baltimore and finally arrived at Union Station in DC at around 1030.  At that point, I realized I'd forgotten my Metro card at home - as a result, I had to use Uber to reach my hotel.  After encountering a mad house in the taxi, kiss & ride lanes, I still managed to find my driver (2245) and he soon got me to the Holiday Inn that is located near my old work building (2300).  After that, I was able to check into my room very easily and then got situated (computer-wise) before beginning to relax.  I didn't actually go to bed until almost 0030 but was still glad that I'd managed to complete all my planned projects for the day.  In-person work meetings tomorrow!

Maine Hiking Trip - Day 4

I slept OK overnight but had not counted on the drop in temperature - in the middle of the night, the huge rock that had seemed so inviting (due to its flatness) began to get REALLY cold.  I put on all the extra (dry) clothes I'd brought and managed to sleep a good amount of the night, fortunately.  However, the decision to leave behind my sleeping bag and only carry a light blanket almost bit me in the @$$...  At 0300, I was awake enough that I was ready to leave the campsite - however, it wasn't nearly light enough (the view of the stars was incredible).  I managed to sleep until about 0430, when visible light was sufficient, and quickly packed up my campsite, ate some food and steeled myself against the multiple big peaks in the seven miles of AT (plus two more miles of road at Saddleback) I still had to hike in order to meet up with my dad.  The weather was cooler and I was happy with the conditions as I continued my climb out of the Orbeton Gorge.  Still, the appearance of the sun behind me indicated a warmer day than I'd wanted.  Time/temperature appeared to be my enemy as I made my way to the Poplar Ridge Lean-to...  I didn't mention this yesterday but I saw LOTS of frogs, toads and snakes last night and this morning - perfect weather for them, I guess.  I encountered about eight NOBO Thru hikers during this time - they told me they'd all stayed at the Lean-to and that there hadn't been enough room for everyone to camp.  Feeling a bit relieved that I'd camped alone, I continued SOBO.  When I reached the Lean-to, I found a group of four tents with hikers who turned out to be SOBO Thrus.  I spoke with all of them but only the youngest (recent college graduates from UVM, Ethan and Anna) stuck around while I replenished water and ate some snacks.  Actually, I was really feeling thirsty and hungry and needed almost an hour to recover the lost electrolytes from hiking only two miles to start the day.  When I finally did leave the shelter (last place anyone saw Geraldine Largay alive in 2013), the SOBOs accompanied me for a few miles before we began a steep climb up the first (of three) peaks: 3597 foot Saddleback Junior.  The youngsters left me in the dust but I kept on moving my feet, scrambling over huge rocks and avoiding falls - eventually, I came out of the trees onto a flat plateau.  This allowed me a view of where I'd been (back to Sugarloaf) and where I needed to go (Saddleback) for the first time.  I was over half way through the section but didn't feel any more confident that I was going to make it to my dad's RV by sunset...  After a big descent, the next place that I stopped for a longer break was the Redington Stream Campground.  Despite having crossed multiple muddy areas during my hike, the only clean water available nearby (and, for that matter, the rest of the day) was 0.2 miles off the AT.  Since I was nearly out of water at that point, I had no choice but to hike the extra distance.  Fortunately, I met up with Ethan and Anna at around the same time and they told me the walk was worth the effort (cold water).  After wishing them well as they departed, I took the extra time for eating and drinking, still holding the line against getting dehydrated or undernourished.  The next phase of my day was (by far) the most challenging: climbing to the top of "The Horn" (4017 feet) took all of the mental and physical strength I had.  Gradually, I clambered my body (mostly unwilling) to the summit and was rewarded with spectacular views of the entire Rangeley Lakes region and all the higher peaks nearby.  I was finally able to send my dad a text about my progress (note that I'd earlier drafted a "I may not make it there today" message but it failed to send).  While I was only about two miles from the end of my hike at this point, the toll of the two climbs, the hot sun, long balancing act with water/food and sheer exhaustion finally began to hit me in earnest.  Every step was painful and I started to have fantasies about dropping my backpack on the ridge, paying someone to carry me out of the area and, even, hoping I'd pass out at Saddleback so I could get rescued.  Of course, I didn't get to do any of these things and I was left with "I have to get there myself, it's the only way..."  I'd drunk too much water by this point - for the first time in memory, I couldn't stomach anymore and actually vomited up most of the liquids I'd had in the previous hour.  I'm not certain if this was a sign of heat exhaustion or some effect of drinking less-than-clean water over the previous 48 hours but, strangely, I felt much better afterwards.  Somehow (I still can't believe it), I made it to the Saddleback Peak and then hiked an additional few hundred yards to the trail junction for Saddleback Mountain Lodge.  What a relief to get there!  But, unfortunately, I still had a steep descent (and about 1.7 miles) from the nearly 4125 feet where I left the AT and the base of the ski resort.  This walk (mostly on ski trails and gravel roads) was frustrating and even more mind-numbing.  Needless to say, when I finally reached my dad's RV (he was waiting at the Lodge), I wasn't even excited to have tamed the wilds of the AT.  I was so overwhelmed by the relief of not dying that I collapsed and counted my blessings.  My dad was a bit concerned but kept on telling me how proud he was of what I'd accomplished.  I heard everything he said but my internal monologue was yelling at me about how stupid I'd been to try the hike at all.  By the end, though, the positive vibes from my dad won out - I definitely agree that this was a real feather in my cap for the whole AT journey.  Overall, this may have been the toughest section I've ever hiked and I'm not even sure I could have done it when I was much younger.  Getting done was almost completely due to psychological reasons, coupled with the leg strength of nine years of hiking 400-500 miles a year.  When I finally felt ready, we drove back into Rangeley and stopped at the IGA, where my Dad bought me a sandwich and Gatorade (1700).  Both really hit the spot and I was "ready" to start driving home (I had to be on a train to DC in the morning, after all!).  We left Rangeley (via ME-16) and continued west into NH.  We used NH-16 all the way to Berlin, where we fed Ana (1900).  After that short break we continued towards home (via US-2 and NH-116).  In the twilight, we saw a bear cross the road - my dad was very excited about the wildlife encounter ("A real treat!").  We stopped for gas and snacks at Cumberland Farms in Whitefield (2030) and then continued south to Littleton.  Next, we used US-302 and NH-10 to get to Hanover.  It was quite clear that rain was on the way.  The last few hours of the drive were in the pitch dark.  We arrived at my Condo by 2130 and I did my best to quickly unpack the RV (so my dad could go to bed).  After that, I cleaned myself up and went to bed (2300).  What a whirlwind weekend - only two sections left to hike and I'll be finished!  AT Today = 7.0 miles / Grand Total AT = 2153.1 miles / AT Left = 32.2 miles

Maine Hiking Trip - Day 3

After a night in a Super Walmart parking lot (full of campers and RVs!) in Showhegan, we woke up early (0600) this morning, ready to make an attempt to solve an AT logistical challenge that has stymied me for three years: hiking from Sugarloaf Mountain to Saddleback Mountain.  The 16 mile section was the very last ones built by the Civilian Conservation Corps (1939) that completed the continuous AT and is almost inaccessible to vehicular traffic.  Actually, there was one exit in the middle but that route takes hikers into the prohibited Navy SERE school property - needless to say, I wasn't inclined to try that route except in extremis...  One other note about the toughness of the section: on July 22, 2013, almost 10 years to the day of my own hike, a Thru Hiker got disoriented on one of the higher peaks and was not found (deceased) for over two years.  During my first full season hiking the AT (2014), I saw her "Missing" sign throughout Maine so was well aware of the unforgiving nature of this tough area...  After spending some time reading and packing, we drove across the street from the Walmart and I bought breakfast for Dad and me (0730).  We next drove to Sugarloaf via US-201, ME-148 and ME-27, arriving in the Resort parking lot at around 0900.  My plan was to ride the chairlift up the side of Sugarloaf and then hike (around two more miles) to access the AT at a trail junction where I'd last hiked nearby in 2022.  My foot had sufficiently recovered from the previous day and it seemed like it was "put up or shut up" time.  My dad parked and started to entertain the "Lookie-Loos" (who always seem to want to buy his RV) while I went off to locate the lift ticket counter.  After asking a few folks for help, I found it at 0930 and got a one-way pass.  After that, I went back to the RV so I could make my final packing effort.  Saying goodbye to my father, I walked over to the chairlift queue area and waited for them to start allowing ascents at 1000.  I was a bit nervous about the plan but also wanted to get started as soon as possible!  The weather conditions were excellent and the morning air was brisk enough that I thought I wouldn't be affected by the forecasted heat (high 70s).  Because of the wait for the lift, much of the cooler morning was lost - oh well...  When I boarded, though, I felt energized, excited and a little daunted to be starting the hike.  At the top of the chairlift, I met one of the employees of the mountain (Mike) who was actually an AT Maintainer.  He had lots of ideas about places to camp and bail out strategies - overall, his attitude was quite infectious.  From there, I walked to the top of the 4231 foot peak, took a photo of the huge expanse of terrain to the west and then hiked downhill to the AT junction.  I'd hoped to be there no later than about 1100 but found it was already past noon.  Any thoughts I had of making up time by walking quickly, however, were dashed by finding the typical Maine trail conditions: mud, roots, rocks...  I plodded slowly SOBO, conserving energy and only making vague plans of where I might stay for the night.  Meanwhile, I passed a series of other hikers - mostly "Peak Baggers" - who told me about conditions farther up the trail.  As I've usually done when backpacking, I don't bring as much water as when I'm day hiking because of the weight impact.  As a result, I spent much of my hike trying to keep ahead of a nutrition/hydration deficit, stopping often to filter water and eat snacks.  There were a few Thru hikers (all NOBO) during this time - I must have seen 10 during the day - but I didn't really talk to many.  During this time, I encountered a Ridgerunner who walked with me for a while and asked me lots of questions about my section hiking experiences.  During this conversation, we started up the side of 4000 foot Spaulding Mountain (although the peak is not actually on the AT).  Also around this time, I tripped and fell, covering myself with Maine Mud (ugh)!  It was only my pride that was injured, however... The Ridgerunner left me at the Spaulding Mountain Lean-to at the bottom of the descent after that and I continued - alone - through the woods.  During this time, I started wondering if I might be able to make it to the Poplar Ridge Lean-to, only a few miles away as the crow flies, but knew that might be challenging due to the descent I had yet to make into the Orbeton Gorge and back out again - not an easy feat!  So, instead of trying to plan that far ahead, I struggled through mud, across rocks and balanced precariously on roots to make sure my body might actually make it to Saddleback Mountain.  The descent was much steeper than I imagined and I had to gingerly scramble down an extreme, steep section to reach the Orbeton Stream itself.  There, I found evidence of the awesome power of the water - a fishing boat was trashed on a little island in the middle of the river and the rapids nearby did not look welcoming.  I spent a bit more time there than I normally do because I could see that the embankment across the river was just as steep - at least the east side had a small beach.  After gearing myself up for the river crossing, I donned my water-shoes and carefully made my way across - the water was just below my knees but I didn't get too wet, fortunately.  After getting back into my hiking boots, I began the arduous climb out of the gorge.  By this point, it was nearly 1800 and I'd been walking for nearly eight hours - this caused me to think that it was quite unlikely that I'd have enough energy (or daylight) to reach the shelter.  Instead, I started looking for a "stealth" campsite along the way.  This was NOT easy!  Most of the AT in Maine passes through dense forest with very little in the way of clearings on either side.  I started to get depressed at one point, wondering if I'd have to walk all the way to the Shelter because there weren't alternatives, but got lucky when I found a viewpoint clearing.  This spot, not intended for camping, had a huge flat slab of rock that looked good enough for a tent - without really thinking about the situation too much, I just set up camp there (1900) and committed to a night alone in the woods.  As a result of stopping short of the shelter, I knew the next day was going to require a lot of work (7+ AT miles, plus the Saddleback descent by road).  I resolved to get up very early the following day.  Other than a few Thru hikers who passed by after I was inside my tent, resting, I didn't see or hear any people for the rest of the night.  By 2000, I was fast asleep - I actually don't even remember anything after I was safely in bed.  I hadn't bothered to hang my food like I normally do - some of my last thoughts were probably "what if a bear comes by?" or "that moose scat was kind of close to where I am..."  After a day with roughly 11 miles of hiking, I was tired enough that neither of these questions really mattered...  AT Today = 9.0 miles / Grand Total AT = 2146.1 miles

Maine Hiking Trip - Day 2

I was awake at 0530 and my dad made me a sandwich for breakfast.  The weather looked good initially but, as I was getting packed, it started to rain.  This was disappointing but, fortunately, it stopped within the hour.  Seeing this as my best shot to hike the AT section I had planned, I said goodbye to my dad at around 0630 and started walking towards the AT trailhead on Logan Brook Road.  Surprise: I found the KI/Jo-Mary gate open - had I known about this, I could have saved about 0.25 miles of extra hiking...  It started raining again but I soon entered an area with good tree canopy.  Fortunately, this allowed me to stay relatively dry as I started my climb up White Cap (SOBO on the AT).  It wasn’t too warm (temps in high 60s) but the dampness soaked all of my clothes in the first hour.  I thought it was strange not to encounter any other hikers for the first three hours because I knew there were Thrus in the area... Before long, I reached the empty Logan Brook Shelter.  Continuing on, I passed the Logan Brook Gorge that, supposedly, had a "view" but I never saw anything but fog.  The trail before that had been relatively gentle but the next segment had a steep climb to the summit.  Nasty weather conditions continued until I came out of the trees but I still had to hike for a little longer before I was at the "official top" of the mountain.  My dad and I have usually had a deal where he waits for an hour at the trailhead before driving on to the next meet-up point - if I get cell signal I update him on ETAs and other issues.  This time, I had a signal myself but he (apparently) did not (I learned later that he was already repositioning to the other end of the section).  While I was trying to perform this check-in from the ridge-line, I (finally) began encountering NOBOs and 100 Mile Wilderness section hikers who were starting downhill.  Each had interesting stories to tell about their journeys - two had hiked the PCT and one was just a few miles shy of a Triple Crown (“700”).  In addition to the thick fog, a cold breeze picked up above the tree line so I quickly made my way across the ridge.  One benefit of the breeze, though, was that it dried my clothes a little… Back in the trees again, I next had to navigate through a series of climbs and descents of peaks above 3000 feet - my foot did not like this... It took me much longer than I’d planned to reach the end of the higher elevation and I didn’t actually push over (from Gulf Hagas Mountain) until around 1300.  Fortunately, the next few hours were *mostly* on a downhill grade.  On the negative side, this meant LOTS of roots, rocks, downed trees and mud.  Along the way, I met four Germans (NOBO Thru “Hangry Jack”, from near the Bodensee, and three SOBO Berliners who were hiking all of Maine).  I also passed three buddies (on a weekend section of the HMW) who were soaking their feet in the river and several other NOBO Solos.  All told, I met (and chatted with) 21 other hikers!  The sun came out as I descended towards the end of the section and it got quite warm (high 70s).  I had to maneuver through a lot of watery/boggy areas during this time but, at least, didn’t fall into any of the pools or streams… Despite the constant pain in my foot, I kept on plodding south until I reached Screw Auger Falls, about a mile from the Katahdin Iron Works Road (where my dad was waiting).  I passed a large family who were enjoying the cold waterfall and found a much better trail surface in the area - I think this is because many of the locals walk this stretch to the Ol’ Swimming Hole.  Some of the kids followed me to the West Branch of the Pleasant River, asking questions about my AT hike.  When it was time for me to wade through the river (with my Crocs), I was relieved to find that it was only shin deep for me - this was probably two feet lower than when I was at the same location last month and made for a much easier crossing.  After getting my hiking boots on again, I only had a short quarter mile to walk before I found my dad (1600).  The parking lot where he was waiting (Eastern Access for Gulf Hagas) was packed and he was down the KI Road a little ways.  It took me a bit of time to recover completely and feel a bit drier.  While he waited for me to be ready to leave, my dad asked me questions about the day.  I gave him my assessment: this was quite a challenging hike, with lots of physical and psychological obstacles to overcome.  But I also told him I was glad I could check off a big section in the middle of Maine and that I only have about 25 miles left in the HMW!  My dad was very glad to have been able to assist.  He did, however, request that we depart by a different route (KI Checkpoint vice Hedgehog Checkpoint) because he really didn’t like the road quality on the route he used in the morning.  I knew a quicker way out of the Multi-use Area (faster to pavement too) so we drove out to ME-11 and used it to reach ME-6.  We next drove to Dover-Foxcroft, where we ate dinner at McDonald’s (1915).  At my request, we sat down in the restaurant for our meal - I was still recovering...  My dad said he didn't want to camp in the woods and I tried to call a campground for a reservation (no luck).  Dad then recommended we find a Walmart parking lot nearby and I found one in Skowhegan.  We were done eating at 1945 and continued west on ME-6 to ME-150.  It started to rain on the way - I was glad I'd missed this inclement weather during my hike.  We arrived at the Super Walmart on US-201 in Skowhegan at 2045.  The parking lot was full of RVs and campers and my dad said it was the most he'd ever seen at a Walmart.  By the time we found our own place to park, it was already 2130.  After getting settled (and doing a little reading and puzzles), I tried to fall asleep.  Unfortunately, it was quite loud at this time of night.  After 2215, however, it got really quiet and I was able to fall asleep by 2230.  Hoping that my foot recovers overnight so I can keep chipping away at the remaining AT mileage!  AT Today = 14.8 miles / Grand Total AT = 2137.1 miles / AT Left = 48.2 miles

Maine Hiking Trip - Day 1

After waiting over a month to hike again (recovering from heel bursitis), I was ready to north to Maine for another attempt to complete the AT.  My father had offered to help me get more AT miles this summer and we'd been planning a week-long trip (that was going to begin today) since late May.  Everything looked good until a few days ago, when one of my clients requested that I travel to Washington, DC for meetings on July 25.  As a result, the whole idea seemed bad; I didn't expect my dad to drive up from Massachusetts (and then drive six hours to Maine) for so little resulting mileage.  However, my dad told me he still wanted to see how many miles I could log in the truncated window.  With the weather forecast looking pretty nice for the Hundred Mile Wilderness, I agreed.  He arrived last night and stayed over at my condo so we could leave first thing this morning.  However, I'd been racing to catch up with work yesterday so hadn't done a lot of packing.  Fortunately, I was awake at about 0500 and was able to quickly get through several hiking trip preparations.  It was raining really hard but I managed to get everything packed in my dad's RV pretty quickly.  For this reason, we were able to leave Hanover at 0800.  Since the RV isn't very fast, I suggested my dad again (like most of our previous trips) use NH-10 to reach Woodsville and then US-302 to get to Littleton.  We stopped for breakfast at McDonalds there (0955) and then continued across I-93 to NH-116.  We drove north to Jefferson and then got on US-2 (it stopped raining at about this time).  After stopping for gas at Irving in Gorham (1115), we continued on US-2 to Farmington.  My dad wanted to stop so that Ana could go for a walk so I found a nice park on the eastern side of town.  Next, we tried to go north on ME-27 but encountered a huge traffic jam (due to a bad accident).  Backtracking to Farmington, we instead, took ME-43 to get to ME-148.  Along the way, we passed a huge new factory hiring event - my dad was impressed.  We continued on what we thought was ME-43 but later figured out it was the wrong road.  Using some back roads, we got back on track (ME-43) and continued northeast to ME-150.  We got on ME-151 next and took another short break near Monson.  After that, we got on ME-15 so we could reach Greenville.  We stopped for gas at Irving in Greenville, ME (1630) and also got some groceries in the little market (I later learned it was affiliated with Hannafords).  We talked to some "fan boys" (construction workers who were about to get on a boat to work on someone's vacation home on an island in Moosehead Lake) of RV before getting back on the road.  My dad was impressed by the area (he'd never been there before) and constantly commented on the nice vacation homes we passed.  Driving north on Lily Bay Road, we located Frenchtown Road (just before the town of Kokadjo) and then drove east (along the Roach Ponds).  The condition of the road wasn't too bad and we saw even more impressive summer homes (with electric power lines)  After a really long time (it seemed), we arrived at gate across the road that I had seen before (1830).  The parking lot that would allow AT trailhead access (for White Cap Mountain, inside the KI / Jo Mary Multi-use Forest) the next morning was very close but we found a better place to park in a sand pit nearby.  We then ate dinner (dehydrated meal) and I also drank a large Sam Adams Wicked Hazy I'd gotten in town.  We spent the rest of the evening talking, reading and (re)packing.  Both of us went to bed at 2130 - AT tomorrow!

Norwich, VT (USA)

Trail Magic (Hanover Edition) Day!  I started teleworking very early and, at 0930, departed for the Hanover Co-Op.  For the next three hours, our Trail Magic event in Hanover was a big hit!  We got very lucky with a day of wonderful weather after weeks of rain. I was joined by my neighbors and my Thursday Evening Happy Hour friends in hosting visiting hikers as they passed though our Appalachian Trail Town.  We usually see them walking by but don’t always get to welcome them personally or support them directly - today we did both!  Between 10 and 3, we were positioned in a location (Hanover Co-Op parking lot) that allowed us to meet SOBO hikers just as they exited the woods and NOBO hikers as they were leaving civilization.  This helped us to encounter 35 hikers and brighten their day!  As the day progressed, we gave away burgers (both beef and vegan), hot dogs, fruit, trail snacks and cold drinks - in return, we had fun listening to their stories.  Afterwards (1500), I cleaned everything up, thanked my friends and the Co-Op and then drove back to my condo to meet up with my dad (he'd just arrived from Cape Cod).  He wanted to rest and said he wasn't hungry for a big meal.  As a result, I dropped in for a celebratory drink ("this round's on me") at Jesse's.  Next, I retraced my drive from a few days earlier (Etna, Lyme and Norwich) so I could retrieve all of the signs I'd left at trailheads.  I arrived home at 1900 and did some more teleworking.  Before bed (2300), I spent some time visiting with my dad - we depart for the AT hiking zone in the morning.  Overall, the Trail Magic event was a big success and is definitely worth doing again!

Norwich, VT (USA)

[I started teleworking very early and, since it wasn't hot yet, took a break at around 0700 to check on the trail system at Greensboro Ridge Natural Area - I also did some waterbar repair at the junction with the AT - from there, I drove around the east side of Hanover (and the southern end of Lyme), leaving Trail Magic signs at the AT crossings of several roads - making my way back into Hanover itself, I drove across the Connecticut River and left signs at AT crossings in Norwich - next, I left some of the signs at Dan and Whits, the Hanover Post Office and the RWB Community Center - I got gas on the way home and then, after arriving (0930), resumed my telework day]

Grafton, NH (USA)

Starting my telework day early, I had already done almost done all my required hours by 1230, when I'd planned to go to Frances Richmond Middle School for two hours of Prouty Cleanup Volunteering (1300 to 1500).  We got a lot of work done and the organizers gave me some snacks for our upcoming Trail Magic event in Hanover on July 20.  After the volunteering event was over, I returned to my condo and did a little more teleworking.  At 1600, I departed for Grafton Pond (via King Road in Etna, Enfield and some back roads (entered by Potato Road and arrived at the boat launch by 1630).  Thankfully, the weather finally cooperated long enough for me to join the White River Junction VA Medical Center Adaptive Sports Team and New England Healing Sports for a Monday Evening Paddle!  Despite a bit of smoky haze, the conditions on the water were perfect and we did an almost complete circuit.  I was assigned a “Dagger” kayak (I was told later it is always “slow”) - it looked like a big brother to “Tequila Sunrise”.  With the great conditions, I made the best of things… We saw a huge number of loons!  I very much enjoyed being in the company of veterans under paddle power - even though I’m a volunteer, I believe I get the same amount of benefit from the exercise and camaraderie as everyone else...  After getting done (1830), I used a dirt road to reach NH-4A and then headed west.  I stopped to use my borrowed Nikon camera at the La Salette Shrine in Enfield.  For the first time, I climbed the hill that had statues for the Apparition of Our Lady and the Stations of the Cross.  With the new telephoto lens Bob had recently lent me, I got some great photos of insects, flowers and artwork. After arriving at my condo (1915), I did some more teleworking (pop up "emergency" work) before finally knocking off for the day at 2000.  It was nice to have been able to do so much today - volunteering, paddling and photography!

White River Junction, VT (USA)

[left condo at 1200 and drove to White River Junction (UVAC) for 45 minutes of swimming, 10 minutes of sauna, 17 minutes of biking (4.1 miles), 10 minutes of rowing and weights - afterwards (1400), returned home (arrived at 1430)]

Gorham, NH (USA)

I was up early this morning, not really sure what I was going to do for the day but, since my foot was still not completely recovered.  Ultimately, I decided to volunteer on the actual “big day” of the 42nd Annual Prouty (for the first time since 2021).  The weather was pretty nice (just a bit warm).  I arrived and parked in Preferred Parking (CRRL) at around 0810.  This time, the event was as active and rowdy (I was told it was like this in pre-COVID days).  In addition to the elevated energy from the news that the fundraiser had already raised $7.6M raised in support of Dartmouth Health Cancer Center, everyone was excited to have a great day of weather. For about two hours, I assisted with unloading sandwiches, cutting watermelon & brownies and restocking cold drinks.  Along the way, I met lots of people and got to see two of the big bike/walk opening ceremonies/starts.  Glad I could be part of Prouty Day again!  After getting done (1015), I drove to I-91 (through the Dartmouth Campus), talking to Mollie on the way.  I then used I-91, VT/NH-25, River Road, NH-10 and US-302 to reach Littleton.  Along the way, I started to encounter intermittent rain, especially near Jefferson (NH).  There was also lots of traffic and I had some close calls with crazy drivers...  I listened to audiobooks during the drive.  Next, I used NH-116 to reach US-2 and then followed NH-16 to the Mount Washington Auto Road (arrived at 1315).  Despite the Jekyll & Hyde nature of the weather this afternoon, I was able to enjoy a few hours of food, fun and trail walking at the Seek the Peak Adventure Expo!  This event was the culmination of several months of fundraising in support of the Mount Washington Observatory (we raised over $176K!) and featured live music and lots of freebies for those who’d helped raise money.  I got two $15 certificates for free food at the trucks - I used one certificate at Bickford Box for lunch (BBQ and mac & cheese) and the other at Kimberly's Gluten Free Kitchen for dinner (poutine tater tots).  I also bought one beer (Rockpile Ale) at Tuckerman Brewery Tent.  In between meals, I walked on trails in Great Glen, reaching the Great Angel viewpoint.  Unfortunately, I couldn't really see the mountain all day...  I stayed at the Expo until 1715 and then drove back to Gorham.  On the way home, I attended Mass (1800) at Holy Family Parish.  After that, I used US-2, NH-116, US-302, NH-10, River Road, NH/VT-25 and I-91 to get to Hanover (listened to more audiobooks on the way).  There was a lot less traffic and I enjoyed the nice evening of driving (although I did keep encountering rain from time to time).  Got to my condo by 2045.  Even though my foot is still not 100% ready to return to the trail, it was nice to spend some time with others in New Hampshire's active/outdoor community!

North Thetford, VT (USA)

With all the rain (and flooding!) lately, I haven’t even thought about kayaking.  Today, the weather looked nice enough to change that!  Still, I had my job...  I teleworked from very early in the morning and, at 0745, drove to Lebanon to get a haircut and then drove to White River Junction for a doctor appointment at the VA Medical Center. After that, I did some errands in West Lebanon and went home (1030), where I continued teleworking.  By the time my work day ended (1745), I practically raced out the door to get Tequila Sunrise ready to go.  Using US-5, I made it to the boat launch in North Thetford by 1900 and, after launching, started paddling north towards Fairlee-Orford.  The Connecticut River was quite high, with a heavy/strong current, unusual but completely unsurprising with all the nearby dams releasing their excess water.  If I ever stopped paddling, for even just a few seconds, I quickly found myself flowing south with lots of debris from upriver.  This meant that my paddle took a lot longer than I’d expected and it soon started to get dark.  I had to give up the fight about a quarter mile from the creek where the Edgell Covered Bridge (where I’ve been birdwatching a few times this year) is located.  It took me only 30 minutes to cover the roughly two miles downstream that had taken 60 upstream.  Finishing at 2030 and, for the first time this summer, I was able to drive home with my windows open, enjoying the breeze.  I arrived at my condo by 2100, feeling pretty good about my evening paddle.  Two more miles completed in my quest to paddle the Connecticut!

White River Junction, VT (USA)

[after teleworking early, I left my condo at 0700 and drove to White River Junction (UVAC) for 45 minutes of swimming, 5 minutes of sauna, 17 minutes of biking (4.1 miles), 10 minutes of rowing and weights - afterwards (0900), drove to West Lebanon to do some shopping (Shaw's and Hannaford) and pick up tailoring - I dropped off some reusable bags at Listen in Lebanon and visited with Father Charles - after that, I stopped at the Hanover Co-Op to double check they were ready for the Trail Magic I had planned for July 20 - next, I picked up my Prouty gear (for raising money for the fundraiser) - finally, I returned home (arrived at 1100) - teleworked for the rest of the day]

Busch Gardens Trip - Day 6

I woke up at 0530 and got ready to leave Erin's apartment.  She was awake by 0700 and we ate a light breakfast together.  At 0730, we left her apartment and drove to Baltimore's Penn Station so I could catch "The Vermonter".  It was sad to say goodbye to her but I think we both agreed our visit had been great.  After she dropped me off, I only had to wait about 30 minutes before the train arrived (0810) and I was able to find a seat rather easily.  For the next several hours, I did some reading, watched movies, did Duolingo and generally relaxed.  Just after New York, I bought some food in the Galley (1300) and ate while watching some videos.  There wasn't enough time to get out of the train in New Haven (we'd been delayed on the track near Bridgeport) but I got a chance to walk around on the platform in Springfield (MA).  We made good time going north after that.  We arrived at White River Junction at about 1820 and I drove home (via US-5 and a stop at Cumberland Farms), arriving at 1845.  I unpacked and relaxed for the rest of the evening.  Overall, my Amtrak getaway to the "DMV" was quite memorable.  For the Baltimore part of the trip, Erin (and her puppy, Kiki) were wonderful hosts. We watched movies, did a lot of walking near Camden Yards, ate some delicious meals and caught up on life news.  Sadly, Erin couldn’t go with us to Busch Gardens yesterday but I had a great time riding rides and spending time with Brenna and Mollie there.  It was so great to be able to visit with everyone!

Busch Gardens Trip - Day 5

I was awake by 0500 and let Mollie sleep in my bed (she said she'd been uncomfortable all night).  I then got ready and did some reading while I waited for her and Brenna to wake up for the morning.  Neither got up until well after 0800 so it sort of put a damper on the mood (they are NOT morning people).  We packed up the two cars (moving a lot of stuff I'd brought for Mollie and Brenna into Brenna's car) and then left the hotel (0915).  Thinking we could get some breakfast at the nearby Chick-Fil-A, we drove there (I was following Brenna and she was having problems with her Google Maps) and discovered they didn't open until 1100.  This upset both girls and I was worried about how our visit was going to end.  Fortunately (?), there was a nice Wawa next door to the Chick-Fil-A and they had breakfast sandwiches and several different kinds of coffee.  This made Brenna and Mollie happy.  After getting our food/drink (0930), we ate together outside on a nice patio.  Our conversation revolved around a lot of plans that both of my daughters had for the rest of the Summer (some things were a surprise to each of them).  We stayed together until around 1015 and then said goodbye.  I headed back towards I-64 on some surface/city streets and made phone calls (Erin, Brother Jim, Stephanie, etc.) on the way.  When I reached the Interstate, I found it packed with traffic.  This situation lasted all the way to I-295 but then conditions improved.  The time Google Maps predicted for me to reach the DC area was so bad (nearly twice the time required the previous day) that I asked Stephanie to meet me in Beltsville (closer to BWI) instead of DC.  This allowed me to take the longer (but faster, as it turned out) routing via US-301.  The weather was nice and the roads going north weren't too crowded.  However, there were lots of intersections with lights and it slowed me down considerably.  I stopped for gas at a 7-Eleven in King George (1115) and then (after passing through Dahlgren), crossed the Potomac into Maryland.  Traffic started to pick up and, by the time I reached MD-5, I had to take several Google-recommended shortcuts to avoid major delays.  Gradually, I made up lost time and (using MD-5, I-495 and the Baltimore-Washington Parkway) reached Greenbelt by 1320.  Stephanie arrived at almost the same time and we stumbled across a Chevy's Restaurant there.  This was a chain that we'd frequented (for margarita happy hour in Pentagon City) many, many times while I still lived in the DC Metro area and the menu/drinks at this Maryland location did not disappoint.  We had another enjoyable meal there until around 1500 and then (using Stephanie's car) drove a short distance to Greenbelt Park.  We took a walk there, mostly on paved roads in their campground, and then returned to Chevy's.  After saying goodbye, I departed for BWI at around 1630.  The Baltimore-Washington Parkway was already quite busy and then it started raining - what a mess!  I managed to reach Arundell Mills before I realized I needed to top off my fuel tank before turning in the rental car.  It took a lot of maneuvering on unfamiliar streets to locate an Exxon station (with the highest prices I've seen all during the trip).  After finishing the gas fillup mission, I was on my way again by 1655.  More traffic lights and rain followed me all the way to the car rental return building - luckily, the check-in process was quick and efficient.  I then made my way to the waiting area (Erin had texted that she would be there shortly) and huddled in a covered-bus-stop to avoid getting wet.  A family nearby was dropping off their loved ones and must have spotted me wearing my backpack because they came by to offer me three packets of Top Ramen that they were planning to throw away.  At first, I didn't accept but then reconsidered because I realized these items would be good for my upcoming Trail Magic event.  Erin arrived a little bit later (1730) and we got on our way towards her home.  She'd left Kiki at Austin's parents' home and was missing her dog a lot.  I'd previously suggested that we go out to dinner at someplace she liked so she drove me to a BBQ Food Truck she frequents in Catonsville.  Unfortunately, we arrived to find that they had almost run out of food.  They suggested we walk a short distance to eat at Caffe Di Roma and that turned out to be a great idea.  At 1800, we ordered some of their delicious macaroni and cheese, along with some affordable sandwiches (they came with good chips and pickles).  It was great to eat with Erin one more time and we had a great conversation.  Afterwards, we drove towards Baltimore and had almost reached Camden Yards before Erin realized we had time to visit a waterfront park that she and Austin like to visit (Covington Park).  The weather was hot and muggy but there was a nice breeze.  After about 30 minutes there, we returned to Erin's apartment and spent the rest of the night watching Disney+ shorts and the movie "Up".  After wondering about my daughters all day, I figured out that Brenna had managed to get Mollie home and then drive back to Harrisonburg herself.  They texted that they'd had a great time visiting (I agreed).  I posted all the photos I (and the girls) had taken at Busch Gardens on social media (it turned out to be a very popular Facebook entry) and then made a separate post for my time with Erin in Baltimore (also popular).  Erin and I talked a lot more (and she shared funny texts with her sisters about what we were doing) before it was time for bed (2200).  I'm going to miss spending time with my daughters after I leave for home tomorrow...

Busch Gardens Trip - Day 4

My day began early (0600) and I had to cajole Mollie into getting ready for our departure from the hotel.  Fortunately, there was a breakfast in the lobby.  However, Mollie didn't like much of what was offered so that didn't bode well for the rest of the morning...  Brenna texted that she was on her way to Busch Gardens and we departed our hotel shortly after that (0645).  We made our way to I-95 via US-1 and found that the traffic wasn't too bad - it was much worse on the other side of the Interstate, though.  On the way, Mollie and I had some great chats about all kinds of topics.  Mollie was able to see Brenna's location and figured out that we were close to merging after we got off I-295 and onto I-64.  So, we stopped for a bathroom break at a nearby rest area and waited until we saw Brenna's little car pass us.  We then caught up to her but couldn't slip in behind her because there were too many big trucks nearby.  Instead, we continued on ahead and reached the Busch Gardens parking lot entrance at 0915.  Brenna got there a few minutes later and we were able to stay together from that point.  The parking area opened at 0930 and we got on a shuttle to the main gate by 0945.  We arrived at the Will Call Office shortly after that and quickly converted our Veterans Appreciation Voucher into entry tickets (the process was very easy).  It was already pretty warm so we tried to get to water rides or colder venues as fast as we could.  However, we'd forgotten about the "gates" that the park uses to restrict entry into the various country areas.  This required us to wait in the hot sun for almost 45 more minutes before we reached the fun rides.  Since we'd had the delay, we were able to convince Mollie to ride on "Invadr", a wooden roller coaster that looked pretty tame until we got aboard - she did NOT like it...  After that, we split up so Brenna and I could ride on "DarKoaster" (a new indoor roller coaster).  The line was almost an hour and the ride itself may only have lasted about two minutes.  It was fun, though.  We later found Mollie in the FestHaus (much cooler inside) and learned she'd done a bunch of the kid rides we all used to like.  She had already gotten herself some lunch so Brenna and I got some food too (1200).  While eating, we watched the familiar German dancing and singing performance while we tried to hydrate and cool down.  After about 45 minutes, we felt like braving the heat again and ventured over to the bumper cars, carousel and other Midway displays.  We kept moving through the park, checking line sizes and noting that there were several closed attractions (no explanation was given).  I took breaks several times because my foot was hurting but it gave Brenna and Mollie a chance to ride the teacups and other carnival type rides.  A major highlight of this point was when Brenna and I went on "Escape from Pompeii" and Mollie stood in the Splash Zone to get cool.  We eventually reached Scotland (middle of the park again) and were going to try to attend the Irish dancing/singing performance but missed the 1430 showing.  Instead, we split up for a while and walked around looking for other rides we could do.  Brenna and I went on "Le Scoot Log Flume" (one of our favorites).  It was nice to cool off on the ride but, by then, it had gotten so hot that we needed another break in the FestHaus.  I watched the German performance again and Brenna got more food.  Mollie joined us a little later (she'd been visiting animals and riding the train).  After we were cool, we went back to Italy and Brenna was able to ride on "Apollo's Chariot".  It was still early (1700) but we checked out the Marco Polo Marketplace (Italy), where we ultimately had dinner.  While eating, we listened to a contemporary musical performance - it was quite good.  The place was much less busy than I'd expected and it gave me the impression that the lines for rides might be shortening.  Sure enough, when we got back to "Roman Rapids" we found the delay had been cut from 60 to 10 minutes.  We happily boarded the raft and got SOAKED.  Brenna and Mollie took a second ride before they'd had their fill.  The girls checked out a few more venues, including the Sesame Place Forest of Fun (Brenna liked that).  We then (1855) wandered around the park, looking for a Starbucks (Mollie had a craving).  We kept hearing messages about bad weather was coming but never had much more than the hot temps.  Brenna saw a Dippin Dots station in England so we stopped for some (1915).  I thought the girls would want to stay until the closing fireworks but they did not object when I suggested we depart (1935).  We made it back to our cars and got out of the park without too much traffic.  We then drove to our hotel (Red Roof Inn) in Williamsburg, arriving just after 2000.  Mollie wanted to check out the nearby Colonial Williamsburg property so she and I went out (in the car) again while Brenna laid down to rest.  It wasn't a long drive but we had a hard time finding the trail from the Visitor Center to the historic buildings.  As a result, it was completely dark before we'd parked and found a shuttle bus.  We rode it to a place where the drive told us we'd find some interesting buildings. Shortly after that, we located the Governor's Mansion (Mollie was impressed by that) and then checked out a few more things nearby.  We ended up walking back to our car because the buses were not predictable)..  Back at the hotel (2130), we found that Brenna had fallen asleep.  To maintain the quiet, I did about an hour of work on my computer while Mollie rested, read and relaxed.  Settled for bed by 2300.  Thinking about the day, we all agreed that powering through the high temps was difficult but were glad that the Festhaus AC worked great and that it was possible to beat the heat by going on water rides and high/fast coasters.  Overall, it was great to return to Williamsburg after a long absence!

Busch Gardens Trip - Day 3

I started teleworking when I woke up (0545) and got a lot of work done before Erin was awake too.  I did some more teleworking after our light breakfast in her apartment (0915).  At lunch time, we walked down to eat a good meal at Pitamore (1155).  Erin had never been there and said she was glad to try it.  In the afternoon, I ended up having some meetings (popped up late).  I teleworked until about 1600 and then packed up my stuff so that Erin could take me to BWI (where I'd secured a rental car for the next two days).  We left at around 1630 and arrived at the Hertz Rental Car pick-up location by 1700.  The process for getting my car was pretty fast (although I only had three cars to choose from and two of them were electric.  Not wanting to have to search for charging stations, I chose the gasoline car) and I was on my way out of the lot by 1715 (I did have to stop to request that they log some big scratches I'd found).  I met up with Erin one more time (to transfer baggage) and then proceeded to the Ram's Head Roadhouse in Annapolis (arrived at 1815).  It was quite crowded and I had to wait for a bit before Amanda C arrived.  During that window, I tried to revive my old "World Beer Club" membership and their updated loyalty card.  I'd been trying to do this since 2021 and, because of the nice staff members, I was partially successful (ready for next time!).  Amanda arrived a bit later and we had a great dinner (also local beer) for the next several hours.  I was in constant communication with Mollie about when I would be able to pick her up.  After dinner (2005), I headed back to US-50 and drove west to I-495.  I spoke with Stephanie, Erin, Brenna and Mollie on the way.  I made it to US-1 by 2120 and tried to reach Mollie.  She didn't answer, so I drove to the hotel (Quality Inn on US-1 near Hybla Valley), arriving at 2135.  After that, I drove to Nicky's; the family had been eating dinner very late so I was lucky I hadn't arrived earlier...  I got to see Austin and Erin while I was loading up the car, gave Nicky some documents of hers that I'd found and said hello to Kiki one more time.  After that, Mollie and I headed to the hotel and spent some time talking.  It was already quite late so we went to bed soon after getting into the room (2245).  Busch Gardens tomorrow!

Busch Gardens Trip - Day 2

I woke up at around 0600 and started teleworking in Erin's apartment in Baltimore.  Erin was awake by about 0800 and helped me find some breakfast in her apartment.  We ate lunch at Pickles Pub (quite loud) at 1220 and then walked around the block once.  It was hot so we returned to the apartment soon afterwards.  In the afternoon, I continued teleworking until Erin's meeting ended (1615).  We then took a walk in/around Camden Yards.  It got too hot and Erin didn’t feel well so we returned to her apartment to watch a movie (“Raya and the Last Dragon”).  At around 7:30 PM, Erin suggested that we take another walk and, this time, we went as far as the Ravens Stadium - Erin felt much better this time and we enjoyed the cooler temps.  Back in her apartment, we watch some more movies and talked more.  I tried some Gran Marnier liquor (it was good) and we stayed up playing with Kiki until about 2200, when we went to bed.  It's great to be able to stay at Erin's!

Busch Gardens Trip - Day 1

It was a holiday so I didn't have to work in the morning.  Instead, I took my time finishing my packing for a trip to visit my daughters in the DMV.  I also organized some things in my condo and cleaned.  At around 1030, I drove to White River Junction to wait for "The Vermonter" to pick me up for my journey south.  Unfortunately, the train station was not open and it was raining so I stayed in my car until around 1115.  The train was also delayed but the sun came out and I waited on the platform with a huge crowd (it included a few AT hikers who may have been taking a break from their hikes but I didn't talk to them).  At around 1150, the train arrived and we got onboard.  Most of the seats were taken but I managed to stow all of my luggage (including Mollie's guitar) in the available space.  We started heading south and the wet weather continued.  It was also so warm that I started to sweat.  I spent most of the ride watching movies on my Surface Pro (the first time I've brought it).  I was able to buy food for lunch and dinner on the train (1315) but otherwise didn't have many chances to get out of my seat.  The train car I was in was completely full by the time we reached the first stop in Massachusetts (I've never seen that) and the number of passengers who wanted to find a seat started to get even crazier.  We continued to lose time as we went and were pretty late by the time we parked (planned stop) in Springfield.  The train added extra time by choosing the wrong track and then had to reposition so we could head south again.  We made pretty good time to New Haven but then got stuck there for over an hour.  This is the place where the Vermonter loses its diesel engine and gets a new electric one (and some extra train cars) but Amtrak seemed to be quite disorganized on the holiday schedule.  There were various reasons given for this (and plenty of passenger speculation) but, I think, the delay was related to nearby lightning strikes.  By the time we got going again, we were almost 75 minutes behind schedule...  It appeared that we made some of the time up on the way to New York but then we were delayed there for a while.  Almost everyone got off the train!  Eventually, we got started south again and, when we passed into New Jersey, it started to get really dark.  This allowed us to see some good fireworks, though!  I was texting with Erin all the way so she knew when to meet me at Baltimore's Union Station (2220).  This resulted in a quick pickup.  Erin had to find her way home through a maze of closed roads but we eventually arrived in her parking garage and made it to her room by 2300.  Austin was away but I got to meet their puppy, Kiki, for the first time!  Erin and I talked for almost an hour and then got ready for bed (2359).  It was a long day but it ended right where I'd planned to be - visiting with my daughter!

White River Junction, VT (USA)

[teleworking until 0730 - left condo and drove to White River Junction (UVAC) for 45 minutes of swimming and 10 minutes of sauna - dropped off clothing donations at LISTEN in Lebanon and then returned home (arrived by 0930) to telework for the rest of the day]

White River Junction, VT (USA)

[left condo at 0830 and drove to White River Junction (UVAC) for 45 minutes of swimming, 10 minutes of sauna, 25 minutes of biking (4.5 miles) and weights - afterwards (1045), did some errands in West Lebanon - then returned home (arrived at 1205)]

North Thetford, VT (USA)

I’ve been nursing some Bursitis during the last few weeks so have avoided high impact activities.  Today’s weather offered an excellent opportunity for working upper body muscles.  This morning, I left my condo (0945) and drove to a boat launch in North Thetford - from there, I hoped to tackle another section of the Connecticut River!  As I was unloading my kayak, I had to listen to the arguments of a nasty, drinking married couple during their attempts to launch and start their motorboat.  I was glad to be able to get in the water and sneak away... Starting (1020) from the boat launch on Bridge Street in North Thetford, I first paddled two miles south to the Lyme-Thetford bridge.  There was some wind and the current was actually working against me most of the way.  Fortunately, after checking out the construction/repair work being done on the river crossing, I got the benefit of the opposite effects on the way back north... I peeked into a couple of small inlets and watched mother birds (geese, ducks) herding their young into the shadows as I passed.  Close to my car, I got some amazing views and photos of a bald eagle!  Overall, the roughly five miles I paddled in 90 minutes (finished at 1150) was fun, energizing and interesting.  As I was packing up again, I talked to another kayaker who was also working on paddling the entire Connecticut River - he looked much more serious than me...  Before departing, I decided to take some photographs with a (borrowed) camera that I've been "vetting".  Nearby, a fisherman caught a huge fish but I wasn't ready.  Despite missing this opportunity, practiced using a newer, long, telephoto lens and got some good shots of insects, birds, boaters, etc.  Overall, I was amazed at the Nikon D7000 capabilities!  Just as I was getting back in my car, I saw guy with a "Cutters 34" shirt, which I remembered was a reference to "Breaking Away" (I complimented him on his taste).  I thought about doing more things outdoors (it was only noon time) but, instead, drove home (via US-5), arriving home by around 1300.  Glad to live so close to such a great paddling river - next time I return to the same boat launch, I plan to continue north towards Orford!