Providence Trip - Day 1

.This week, I had another work trip that would support our system's hardware installations!  After my good experience last week, I was really looking forward to the trip - this time, to Providence, Rhode Island.  Since it was a holiday, there wasn't going to be anyone online that expected to speak or email with me.  This allowed me some flexibility, since I had approval to work on this unusual travel day.  I took advantage of the situation and slept a bit later than normal - I ended up waking up at 0645 (without an alarm set).  At 0700, I began teleworking.  For the rest of the morning, I only took one short break (0800) for breakfast in the Lobby of the Quality Inn (Lebanon).  Otherwise, I stayed online until 1115 and completed the first four hours of my work day until it was time to depart from Lebanon (1130).  By then, the temps were 32 F and it was pleasant and sunny outside.  Due to my big breakfast, I skipped lunch and started driving south on I-89.  Not surprisingly, there were Massachusetts license plates everywhere and they blew by me as I mostly followed the speed limit.  After nearly an hour on the Interstate, I exited on to NH-77, which led me to NH-13.  Not only was this the route with the shortest distance, I had noticed several Rail Trails on the map nearby,  With the goal of getting some good outdoor activity, I headed towards the town of Brookline.  Arriving there at 1315, I was met with temps in the mid 30s - I've been so lucky during my Nomad Life journey!  I parked at a lot near Potanipo Lake (near Mason Road) and, after some research online (because there really wasn't any signage), I was able to locate the Brookline Rail Trail.  From my car, I hiked south (through a small covered bridge) until the trail petered out at NH-13.  Reversing course, I started north towards the Lake.  It took some help from locals (walking with their dog) but I eventually realized I was in the southern section of the larger trail.  Without blazes or signs, I tentatively headed into the "Tevye Section", which initially wandered through paved roads of what appeared to be a Jewish Summer Camp.  After this, the trail turned into a forest road that was clearly used by snowmobiles.  There was actually better signage from this point and I was able to hike two miles before I reached North Mason Road.  By that point, I had learned that there was another two mile section of the Brookline Rail Trail located to the north that connected to the Granite Town Rail Trail (total distance of the two sections of trail = 4.5 miles).  I'd also concluded that I didn't want to walk in the slushy snow to reach my car - instead, I walked east to NH-13 and headed south on the pavement.  Fortunately, there was a wide shoulder and I was able to make very good time.  By 1450, I had reached my car after just a bit more than four miles.  Overall, it was a great time on the trail!  Next, I drove south on NH-13 for about 1.5 miles, hoping to find the northwest trailhead of the Potanipo Rail Trail.  I was successful in my search and even had a short time to do some walking.  At this trailhead, there was a map of the trail and I learned that it was about 2.7 miles long, with the northern end (1.5 miles) going from the trailhead I found to the corner Bohanan Bridge Road and Oak Hill Road; another section is about 1.2 miles and connects to the Massachusetts part of the Potanipo Rail Trail.  Sadly, there wasn't enough time to really make progress on this Rail Trail.  However, I felt good about adding to my experience with more trails on the New Hampshire Rail Trails Challenge list.  Reluctantly, I left the area at 1500 and drove south on NH-13 to the Massachusetts border (crossed at 1505).  The road became MA-13 and I continued south while temps rose to 37 F.  After passing through several small hamlets, I located MA-2 and used it to reach I-190.  Following that road, I made my way to Worcester and then accessed I-290 to cross through the city.  Exiting on to MA-146, I soon reached the Rhode Island border (1610) and continued south on RI-146.  This road had lots of construction and traffic but I eventually made it to I-95.  During this part of the drive, I kept seeing cameras over the road and worried about traffic tickets (later research says they are inactive toll cameras for trucks).  The traffic volume continued increasing and I was relieved to get off the Interstate at the T. F  Green Airport exit.  Shortly after that (1640), I arrived at the Holiday Inn Express in Warwick and was able to quickly check into my room.  With the drive completed, I was able to log two more hours of work (transportation to the work site).  Before resuming telework, though, I hosted a telcon with our family's Thanksgiving Planning Team (1700 to 1740).  Beyond that important discussion, I completed my last hour of work online (1740 to 1840).  Pausing my work day again, I left the hotel and went to dinner at the "Iron Works" (a restaurant at the nearby Hilton Hotel).  It was a VERY popular venue and my only choice was to sit at the crowded bar.  The only empty seat was next to one occupied by a Veteran named Greg, who appeared to be a regular, and his service dog (Hope).  It turned out that we had a lot of things in common (military experiences) and even both had family on Cape Cod.  The drinks and dinner (pastrami sandwich) were very good (prices were too!) and I stayed at the bar until 1950.  After saying goodbye to my new friend, I drove back to the hotel and finished my last hour of telework (2000 to 2100).  Because I'd already reached my fitness goals for the day, I didn't feel bad about watching movies until bedtime (2300).  I'll admit that I'm rather excited about the work I'll be doing at the Airport during the next few days!