Columbus Day Weekend Summary

We took a four-day vacation for Columbus Day Weekend. We went to my parents' cabin in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, and had a spectacularly wonderful time. Here's the chronology:

Thursday 10/9: I left work at 3:30, met my wife and kid at home, and we drove out at about 5:00. Our first stop was my wife's aunt and uncle's place in the northern Catskills: Slightly out-of-the-way for our overall journey, but definitely worth the trip. My wife calls their place "Rivendell." It's kind of in the middle of nowhere, but a stay at their place is always a treat. We arrived at 8:30 at night, and were met with open arms (and an open liquor cabinet). Our hosts were, as always, extremely gracious. We sat up until 11 or so, discussing art, literature, and politics (like us, they sit on the left side of the aisle).

Friday 10/10: The accommodations at Rivendell are better than the average bed-and-breakfast. I slept like a log. Our hosts cooked us a scrumptious breakfast. Later, our daughter got a ride on her great-uncle's tractor-- and he even let her drive a little! We departed at around 10:30, fully refreshed. We drove north to Albany on the Thruway, then picked up a secondary highway through southern Vermont. We stopped for lunch and a little early Christmas shopping in the touristy town of Wilmington, VT. I had been driving through that town for 15 years, but had never stopped there before. The foliage in the Green Mountains was at peak. After lunch, we stopped briefly at Hogback Mountain, then continued to Brattleboro VT, and picked up I-91 to Hanover NH. We stopped in Hanover, and met my sort-of-nephew (actually, he's my first cousin once removed), who's a junior at Dartmouth College. We met up at a cafe just off the Green, had some lattes, and then he gave us a little tour of the college. I really enjoyed seeing him-- it had been quite a while. We then got back on the highway, and drove straight through to my parents' cabin just north of the White Mountains National Forest. My parents were there to meet us. My dad finally finished the interior this summer (after almost a decade of looking at insulation and floorboards). He did a great job: the interior looks fantastic. Even though we took more than 24 hours to reach our destination, I had the most enjoyable travel day that I can remember. We'll keep this in mind for our planned car trip to Disney World this January.

Saturday 10/11: My mom joined us on a trip to Loon Mountain, which was hosting an Oktoberfest celebration. We took the skyride to the summit of the mountain, where we did a little hiking. We also took the self-guided tour of the glacial talus caves at the summit. These were a lot of fun. After we returned to the base of the mountain, we ate some excellent German food (and Harpoon beer), and listened to an oompah band. After lunch, my kid conquered the climbing wall, and then we returned to the cabin. It was still mid-afternoon, and I didn't want the kid to veg out in front of satellite TV, so the two of us went to a local preserve and walked the educational nature trails. My sister drove up from Manchester, and she joined us for dinner at a lovely Italian Oasis Restaurant in Littleton. When we got back, we all played a rousing game of "Taboo" before we all retired for the night.

Sunday 10/12: The three of us, plus my sister hiked to the summit of Canon Mountain. I had planned the hike based on the write-up in my copy of the Appalachain Mountain Club White Mountains Hiking Guide. The hike was MUCH more challenging than we expected. We made it to the summit, and then decided that we would take the aerial tramway back down. It took about three-and-a-half hours to hike to the summit, and about 10 minutes (and $30) to take the tram back down. After we got back to the cabin, I cooked chicken fajitas for dinner.

Monday 10/13: We drove back home. We got a slightly later start than I'd planned. We stopped for lunch at Hogback Mountain again, but that was our only major stop. We pulled into our own garage at about 7:30 PM, and promptly went out for dinner at the Ithaca Ale House.

This was a wonderful vacation. I felt extremely energized, and while I would have loved more time off, I found that I was eager to get back to work on Tuesday.