Cape Cod Trip - Day 1

I'd promised my dad that I'd pay him a visit before some upcoming travel plans I had.  It seemed like the best plan was to leave on Saturday, rather than brave the Boston traffic on Friday after work.  With that goal in mind, I woke up at 0530 (before my alarm) and packed up the car - I was on the road by 0600.  The weather was warmer than I'd expected (55 degrees) and there were clear skies. I drove (via I-89) to Concord and encountered almost no traffic (listened to audiobooks on the way).  Arriving at NH-3A, I proceeded south to Hooksett and stopped for gas at Irving (0710).  At that point, I determined that I was ahead of schedule - I texted Katie/John that I could meet them about 15 minutes earlier than we'd planned (they said they'd try to be there).  Meanwhile, I got on I-93 and headed south.  Traffic picked up but there was very little gridlock by the time I got to Boston.  By about 0815, I was on MA-3 and, about 10 minutes later, got off the highway in Pembroke.  Before long (0830), I was at the Omelet Factory and got a booth right away.  I did some reading and Duolingo while I waited for Katie and John, who arrived about 15 minutes after I did.  We enjoyed a nice breakfast and conversation for the next two hours - it had been a while since we'd visited so it was nice to catch up.  As we finished (and said goodbye), I called Gerard with an update on my ETA; I was on the road again by 1100.  I drove (via MA-3) to Plymouth.  Taking back roads, I made it to Gerard's house by 1145.  Before arriving, I'd thought we'd visit for a bit but he told me he was hungry.  So, we got in his car and drove to North Plymouth, where we parked at the Plymouth Bike Path Trailhead.  We then walked south until we arrived at Nelson Beach.  Taking some side streets, we got good views of the ocean and homes nearby.  The conversation was good - I was telling him about my Danube River trip and he loves stories about Eastern Europe!  Afterwards, we drove to visit the nearby ThreeV Restaurant, where we got some lunch and beer.  I continued telling him about my European vacation and showed him some of my photos.  At about 1500, I told him I'd need to get going because I'd promised to get together with my dad before dinner time.  He drove me back to his house and we had another conversation (about current events) on the way and in his yard.  Eventually (1630), I got on the highway and headed towards Cape Cod. There was very little traffic so I arrived just after 1700.  I spent some time visiting and playing with the dogs. Dad had planned a big dinner but, since I'd eaten so much at breakfast and lunch, I wasn't too hungry.  Instead, I relaxed and enjoyed talking with them.  In the end, I sampled a bit of pizza and pie.  Meanwhile, I told Dad and Beth about my activities in New Hampshire.  After dinner, we relaxed in the living room.  Surprisingly, CNN was not on the TV for the entire evening...  By 2130, it was time for bed and I didn't stay up much later - was asleep before 2230.  What a great day of visiting!