Albany Trip - Day 5

Because of my early bedtime last night, I woke up this morning at 0400, feeling quite rested.  Since it was so early, though, I decided to go back to sleep and, when my alarm rang at 0600, it was VERY hard to get out of bed.  Somehow, though, I began teleworking immediately.  At 0745, I went to breakfast in the lobby of the Holiday Inn Express (Latham) and then went back to work immediately after that.  For once, I actually had Friday meetings.  Even better, though, I was able to complete the final document sign offs from our Installation Trip.  By 1045, I had reached the 4.5 hour mark of hours for the day and checked out of the hotel.  As I loaded up my car, I was pleased to find that I had another sunny day and that temps were in the low 30s.  This made me feel good about the impending drive towards the Upper Valley and I immediately drove (via NY-7) across the Hudson River to Troy.  Even though it was closed (for renovations ?), I stopped to visit the Kate Mullany National Historic Site.  It was very difficult to access due to traffic patterns, one way streets and snow drifts blocking parking spots.  In the end, though, I found the building and nearby park and took a photo of the site.  Apparently, Kate Mullany was an early (late Nineteenth Century) labor pioneer - the web had some good information on her but it's not clear when the location will be officially open again.  Satisfied that I'd seen all I could, I continued east on NY-7.  There was SO much traffic and I despaired of getting out of Troy.  Along the way, though, I passed some less expensive (than in Latham) fuel - I filled up the gas tank at a Valero at 1130.  From there, the traffic thinned out and I eventually found myself entering Vermont and getting on VT-7, which took me to VT-279 and US-7.  I passed through Bennington at 1200 - by then, it was sunny and temps were in the mid 20s.  I'll admit that the sight of familiar Green Mountain peaks brought a warm feeling to my heart...  During this phase of the drive, I only saw New Jersey plates on the road - each one of those cars tailgated me and passed on double yellow lines.  It wasn't until I finally reached Manchester and turned on to VT-30 that the plates changed to New Hampshire and Vermont.  I did have to follow a lot of them towards the northeast... I got on VT-11 soon after that and followed it all the way to the town of Chester (arrived there at 1300).  Along the way, I climbed over the Appalachian Trail ridge of the Greens but then came down into the Connecticut River Valley to 35 F temps.  I followed VT-103 to I-91 and, after driving north for a while (light traffic, fortunately), reached I-89.  I crossed the Connecticut River at 1350 and was soon exiting the Interstate (very familiar feelings) in Lebanon.  In the end, the drive went very well and I was able to check into the Quality Inn on NH-120 at 1355.  This meant that I was online, from my room, when a Company telcon began.  Once that was over (1430), I did a bit more telework to complete my work week.  Just before 1500, I left my hotel and drove to the Greensboro Ridge Natural Area, where I hiked for an hour (two miles) in the snow.  This outdoor workout was a go-to activity for me when I lived in Hanover and I was able to log an hour of Volunteering for the Hanover Conservancy (train maintainer) simultaneously (and with their blessing).  Feeling very good about my change to resume some familiar tasks in support of local organizations, I returned to my car just before 1600 and drove to Jesse's Steakhouse.  Typically, the group I met there on Thursdays (when I lived in Hanover) would not have been there on a Friday - however, they heard I would be in town and I was able to join them (Ed and Bruce) for a "do over" Happy Hour.  The beer prices had risen to $4 but the ambiance was still just the way I remembered it.  We had a great time visiting and the party was even better when Jade (bartender) arrived for her shift.  Along the way, we made plans for my next visit (during warmer weather).  It was with a great deal of reluctance when we finished our time together (1815).  As I left Jesse's, my heart was warmed that everyone seemed genuinely happy to see me - I'll need to come back again soon!  When I reached my hotel again (1830), I caught up on a bit more telework and then went to the hotel Fitness Center.  The gym was very limited so I didn't get to bike - however, I did walk just under two miles (in 35 minutes) on the treadmill.  Afterwards, I watched movies and had an unexpected call with Eileen.  Time seemed to go by very quickly and I had to force myself to go to bed at 2300.  It's great to be back in the Upper Valley!