Saturday, October 15, 2011

STATS

Departure: 11:05 am
Breakfast: in the RV
Lunch: in the RV
Dinner: in the RV
Arrival: 4:50 pm, Yogi Bear’s Jellystone Park, Sturbridge, Mass.
Distance: 177 miles
Comments:
We finally left Quechee, VT, and headed south on I-91. Along the way, we stopped in at the Windham Hill Inn, in West Townshend, VT. There’s a story here, so I’ll tell it. (C’mon, quit groaning. It’s not like you’re a captive audience or anything. Isn’t Desperate Housewives on?)

About seven or eight years ago, I was working on my masters’ degree. In one class, I was learning how to design a web site. The project required that I pick an existing web site and redesign several pages. The professor provided a list of sites, and I chose the site for the Windham Hill Inn. While working on the site, both Barbara and I learned a lot about the inn and grew to appreciate the beauty of the Vermont countryside. Ever since then, we have wanted to see the inn first-hand. We decided that, since we were within only a few miles of it, we should stop and see it.

It was beautiful. We met Bonnie, one of the inn keepers, who spent 15 or 20 minutes showing us around the place, then invited us to walk around, take pictures, hike on their hiking trails, and even help ourselves to some tea in one of their tea rooms! And remember, we weren’t even prospective paying customers! What a nice lady, and what a great place. We’re now trying to figure out when we’ll be back so we can make a reservation. Let’s see, 2013?

As pretty as the inn was, the trip to get to it was—um—interesting. We came down I-91, then the Garmin routed us down washed-out back roads and footpaths. It took easily an hour and a half from the interstate to the inn. It was harrowing at times, and everything got well shaken-up as we drove over the pot holes and washed out spots in the road. But we made it, and before leaving, I asked Bonnie the easiest way to get back to the interstate. She said just turn left at the bottom of the hill, go about 20 miles, and there it is. It took about 25 minutes to get there.

I’ve got to check the settings on that Garmin.

We pulled into Jellystone Park (yes, the same one we stayed at a couple of weeks ago) a little before five and saw Yogi and Boo Boo riding around the park on a fire truck. I’m not quite sure of the significance of the fire truck; I don’t remember one in the cartoons.

We’re going to Old Sturbridge Village tomorrow, which is very near here (within a couple of miles, I think).

Tire Pressure Monitor Update:
Okay. Remember the blowout? Remember the tire pressure monitoring system I bought? Remember the monitor itself needed charging? Remember I called my son and had him send everything he could find that had anything to do with the monitor? Remember that I got the package and the charger wasn’t there? Remember I ordered a new one and drove all over New England waiting for the package to show up at my cousin’s house? Remember it cost me $70? Remember that I figured I’d find the monitor in the RV as soon as I got home and started unpacking? Remember I figured it would be sniggering at me?

I found it today.

And, yes, it was sniggering.

I now have two chargers, which I actually managed to lose for an hour or so when the monitor started complaining that it needed recharging (couldn’t find either one of them).

I wish I could forget.