New England, October 7 – 10, 2011.

Kin, my roommate while in graduate school, and his wife Sandra visited us for the long weekend.  I picked them up Thursday and had dinner at Seabra Armory in Perth Amboy while Anne attended her class.  We would embark on a New England foliage tour.  The forecast said the foliage would be at its peak.

10/7 Friday.  Left house at around 10:30 am.  Parkway to Tappan Zee Bridge to Merritt Parkway to Route 7.  Driving through Danbury, New Milford, CT.  Lunch at Italia Mia in New Milford.  Their specials were quite inexpensive.

Drove to top of Mt. Greylock, at 3491 ft highest point in the state, in Northwestern Massachusetts.  Clear day, but not sure we could see the five states as claimed (from the top of the memorial).  Checked in at Vacation Village in Hancock, and ate dinner at Powder Hound about ½ mile away.  Anne had the meatloaf, Kin the spare ribs, and Sandra the stuffed flounder, which were pretty good; I had the shepherd’s pie which was quite forgettable.  Did get to enjoy some of the spare ribs, though.  As agreed, today’s meals were paid by Kin.

Quite disappointed at the foliage at less than 20% by my reckoning.  The claim is it’s at its peak.

 At Mt. Greylock, with Kin & Sandra.

This is being advertised as "near-peak" foliage.

Stay at Vacation Village at the Berkshires.  Miles: 250.

10/8 Saturday.  Left hotel at around 9:30 am.  Took Route 7 to go North.  Stopped by farmstand and walked around a bit.  Lunch at Rutland, VT Ponderosa, the Ponderosa being a restaurant many of us met on Sundays after church while students in Ithaca.  Stopped at Quechee Gap, many more people than when we visited in 2009, but colors not nearly as nice.  Hotel in Weirs Beach (Laconia) has nice view of Lake Winnipesaukee.  Rooms a bit dated, but functional.   Dinner at Weathervane in Weirs Beach.

Colors a bit better than yesterday, still disappointing.  Also we probably calibrated our expectations after yesterday.

There were also many signs of Hurricane Irene’s destruction along the way, especially in Vermont.  Many houses were moved, many trees toppled, and there was a lot of silt deposited on the “banks” of Quechee Gorge.

 Williams College.  There are these eyes on the lawn next to the museum.

 Covered bridge near Quechee Gap, NH.  Closed because of roads destroyed by Hurricane Irene.

The Foliage has improved, a little.

Stay at Cedar Lodge, Laconia, NH.  Miles: 215.

10/9 Sunday.  Left hotel at around 9:30 am.  Drove to Squam Lake and visited Squam Lake Natural Science Center which has a walking trail with caged animals along the way.  Some interesting, but mostly mundane stuff.  At $15 per person it was also a bit expensive.  But we spent about 90 minutes in the area, and got a few mosquito bites in exchange.  Drove back down to Meredith for lunch, the lines were long – today was part of a long weekend, afterall.  Lunch at sandwich place Sunshine and Pa's; we ate there a couple of years back also.  Drive to Ogunquit, ME, looking for the working boat Ugly Anne.  Anne and I are sure we took a cruise on it many years ago, when Ellie was still in high school.  Area was too crowded, we couldn’t find a place to park and had to leave.  By the time we got to Rockport, MA it was already 6:15 pm or so, with little daylight left.  Saw “Motif #1” and strolled around area a bit.  Dinner at Moore’s Fish Shack in Rockport, which turned out okay.

Sunrise on Lake Winnipesaukee, as viewed from our hotel room.

 In front of the No. 1 Motif in Rockport, MA, at dusk.  The power boat feels out of place in this picture.

The more canonical view of Rockport, NH.

Old college rommates at  Meredith, NH.

Ugly Anne as posted on her website.  She has been sold and is now in Mackinac, Michigan.

The colors seemed to be improving, but still not even close to “peak.”  I feel quite cheated by the foliage report, some of which unequivocally say this is the peak foliage weekend.  This is like Jersey Shore saying it’s a great weekend even though the winds are blowing and it is overcast.

Stay at Homewood Suites, Arlington, MA.  Miles: 210.

10/10 Monday.  Breakfast at Homewood Suites.  Drove and parked at 200 State Street – a good location, but quite expensive, $38 for 2 hours.  Walked around waterfront, visited various buildings and the Paul Revere statue.  Bought some pastry at Mike’s – they are quite good.  Take-out lunch in Quincy Market.  Took Kin and Sandra to MIT and Harvard; drove around while they visited these institutions.  After dropping Kin and Sandra at the airport, we went to Joe’s place.  Oysters and light snacks at Island Creek Oyster Bar.  Drove home afterwards and arrived at about 10:30 pm.

Miles: 301.  Total miles for trip: 976.