Planes, Trains, and Automobiles

All of our luggage- 2 hiking packs and a book bag

Our vacation began in what many would consider an inauspicious, even if completely planned manner: a 3:20 a.m. wake-up call.  We had driven to Kansas City immediately after I (Arthur) had finished work on Thursday (after a day-long audit) and spent the night at the apartment of our recently married friends.  They had graciously volunteered to put us up for the night, drive us to the airport (again, at 3:20 in the morning), keep our car at their apartment complex (saving us parking fees), and pick us up on our return. We have great friends

While inauspicious, everything went as planned; our 6:00 flight to Washington D.C. was followed smoothly by our flight to Boston where our checked bag was waiting for us.  With three hours to kill, we found a nice seafood place at the airport.  I can't say I was particularly impressed with the lobster bisque soup, but we did get some Boston creme pie, a treat which both Alex and I give our hearty approval.

Dinner at the huts

Food was a big part of this trip.  We were either eating, thinking about eating, or craving something delightful.  We tried some adventurous dishes and decided to leave some dishes untouched.  Our traditional guideline with vacations is to avoid chain restaurants or any place that we can eat at near home.  This forces us, mostly me (Alex, sorry to switch writers on you in mid-post) since Arthur is an adventurous eater, to try new dishes.  On the flight Arthur commented that there are few greater pleasures in life than sipping on a Coke while flying.  As mentioned previously we had some time to kill at the airport but still were eager for the Boston experience.  The best way to experience something uniquely local without leaving an airport is the food.  Ordering dessert for us is special and this Boston creme pie tasted especially sweet welcoming us to Bean Town.  Other interesting food included a beet soup which Arthur got a large bowl of thinking the

Lunch on the trail

placard in front of it said beef soup.  He also tried some teriyaki tempeh (a meat substitute from fermented soy) not quite knowing what he was getting into (this is where is adventurous taste can get him in trouble.)  Arthur and I also shared a bowl of butternut squash soup at lunch another day.  Each day the huts served soup with dinner so we tried quite the variety of soups from a corn chowder to Moroccan lentil soup. After being on the trail it was interesting what normal foods became extraordinary like the chocolate chip cookies for dessert after a day of long hiking, a bag of potato chips packed in especially for a treat, a handful of trail mix when energy levels were low, a mid-week panini for lunch in civilization, a slice of pizza and an ice cream bar to celebrate summitting the most iconic mountain in the northeast, and the list could continue.  Our most adventurous dish was at an restaurant in Boston's North End (the Italian District) call Massiminos Cucina Italiana.  We ordered the zuppa di pesce napoletana which consisted of mussels, clams, shrimp, calamari, and swordfish with a light sauce over linguine. As Arthur would say in his best operatic impersonation, it was "Muy delicioso!"

Zuppa di pesce napoletana

Back at Logan International it was then time to board a bus which would take us the rest of the way to Pickham Notch, NH, where we would meet the rest of our hiking party the following day.  The ride was pretty long.  Coming from Kansas, traveling is thought of in terms of distance; our roads are straight and flat with nothing to obstruct your vision for miles.  Its just a given that you'll be able to average a consistent, constant speed and therefore knowing a distance is enough to estimate time.  Those assumptions do not hold in the Northeast.  First off, we were trying to leave Boston on a Friday afternoon, which even some of our less traveled readers might recognize as a less-than-optimal commuter experience.  Secondly, the roads we were on meandered through forest and mountain, and consequently there was never a time where our speed exceeded 45 mph.  The lag wouldn't have been that bad were it not for the seats; someone spent a lot of time and effort designing the seats with a curve that forced your back into an alignment of which medieval torture chambers would boast.

The journey wasn't without excitement, however.  Picturesque scenery flew by us as city gave way to forests, meadows, and mountains.  The small towns we passed had buildings made with a distinctly colonial look.  At one point, we had to brake for a moose (turns out there is one moose for about every two square miles of NH).  We also found out that two women sitting directly ahead of us were also going on the trip, so it was fun getting to know them a little bit.

Finally, we arrived at Pickham Notch, where we would spend the evening, around 9:30.  Needless to say, we were pretty much ready to call it a night, so after checking out the visitor center and getting situated, we went to sleep, excited to see what tomorrow would bring.  Omnia Vincit Amour.