Pioneer Valley Peering

Okay, lots of photos today as I try to recapture our leaf peeping adventures yesterday.  My wife and I do this every year for the Columbus Day holiday and were joined this year by our daughter and the Wing Man.  I got the impression the Wing Man would rather undergo a frontal lobotomy without anesthesia instead of riding around in a car all day looking at trees but he was a good sport nonetheless. 

Daughter and Wing Man

Since we had to end the day in Southern Connecticut to get them on a NYC bound train we modified our usual itinerary to Western Massachusetts and eschewed Vermont and New Hampshire.  We even thought about getting them to a train in upper New York state since we’d be right next door but opted for Connecticut (because we love sitting in traffic so much). 

It was kind of a gloomy day but the trees were in rare form due to the dry summer.  We wandered through some back roads on our way west and were blessed with some great views except for the twenty minutes spent trailing an overloaded semi.  There were numerous spots where passing was allowed on the winding roads but since my death wish hasn’t fully emerged we spent the twenty minutes in trail formation.

I mapped out a route that would take us on a fairly straight line towards North Adams and a favorite restaurant but at a certain point I realized I was heading south when I should have been going west.  My daughter had been interviewing me for an author friend who is writing a book and asked her to get me to answer some background questions.  Apparently I was so totally impressed with myself as I waxed eloquent that I missed a critical turn.  We survived this geographic embarrassment with a map hastily purchased from some Pakistanis (do they own every convenience store in the Western world yet?) and some fine back road navigation assisted by the wife, daughter, and Wing Man. 

I’m kind of strange in that I love travelling on roads that I’ve never been on before and this episode provided the opportunity to do that.  I also learned there are certain parts of Western Massachusetts that are remote enough to bring back memories of the very deep South, real Foxworthy country.  We emerged back on track and arrived at the Golden Eagle restraint which is perched on a hair pin turn high above North Adams.  The view is truly memorable and the food is always outstanding.  We braved the long lines for the miniature rest rooms with some hot cider and chowder.  I like the Eagle because it reminds me of the family restaurants of my youth that used to be so prevalent before succumbing to today's tidal wave of franchised eateries.

The Golden Eagle 

Inside the Eagle

My Lunch Date

We made our way back east along the Mohawk Trail (boasting some really tacky wooden statues) and stopped in at Shelburne Falls.  My wife and I stumbled upon this picturesque town on an earlier Columbus Day jaunt and wanted to show our companions the Bridge of Flowers.  The side trip was totally worth it when we happened upon Mo’s Fudge Factor right at the end of the bridge.  I’m now adding Mo’s dark chocolate and orange fudge to my personal culinary hall of fame.  I almost turned the car around and went back for more after I finished a huge piece.  According to my wife the piece was supposed to last several days (pardon me while I laugh uproariously).

The Bridge of Flowers - An Old Railroad Bridge Turned into a Garden

The Crew on the Bridge

My Daughter Looking Down River

Daughter on the Bridge - Mo's is Right About Where the Flag in the Background is

Wife Photographing Every Single Flower

The last part of the day was decidedly sub-par.  Not only did we have to relinquish the company of the daughter and Wing Man but Connecticut reared its ugly traffic head again.  The last thing I needed after six hours of driving was to sit in traffic.  Connecticut’s traffic engineers must have been dropping some serious acid during their design phases.  My daughter tried to help by monitoring police positioning for the times we were actually moving and stumping me with musical movie trivia.  It was tough dropping them off and returning to the empty house.

Wife Outside Golden Eagle - She Spent a Lot of the Day Texting Pictures to Panama

Some would call is strange that I travel so far to see leaves that are spectacular but not any better than I am surrounded with each day near my home.  If you haven’t guessed already, it really isn’t about looking at leaves as much as it is spending a day with people I love.

So Cute

Less Cute

Great Travelling Companions

One Very Lucky Guy